Topic 6 - personal reflection.

This topic was equally as confusing as ever. But then, it's also knowledgeable to learn about the theories and about the hot and cool media. We've learnt this before during semester 1 in our Media Appreciation class, but I guess it is a refreshing period and also it was a more in depth compared to first semester's lesson.

Topic 6 - Critical reflection 2

What is media effects of blogging?
By using Marshall Mcluhan's Tetrad of Media (shown in the diagram below)

We ask this questions....

1. What does the medium enhance?
2. What does the medium make obsolete?
3. What does the medium retrieve?
   
4. What does the technology reverse into if it is over extended?
   

(taken from wikipedia.com)

1. I think that blogging has enhances the world of newspapers, radio and even news (TV). Instead of having to print out A LOT of newspapers, using paper, we instead can use blogs as e-newspapers to tell people of news. Which can also apply to TV where people can "tune" in on their own free time. By radio also, blogs are able to upload musics and advertisements, so it also a more enhanced way.

2. The medium make obsolete newspapers, TV, billboards advertisement and etc. Because I feel that, Blogs can already do much and have a lot of usage and it is definitely obsolute to convey messages in the following medias when we already have BLOGS. Blogs are more convenient and has been quite useful. It can help people convey messages, advertisements, their own personal comments and many more.

3. I think for me, this medium, "blogging" helps achieve a, self-satisfactory feeling of being able to express your feelings, thoughts, words and so on on your blog. It also helps retrieve a new method of conveying news, advertisements, events and many more.

4. If blogging is over extended, i think technology will not be reversed. But the communication among people and society will decrease. People will not see the need to communicate physically and verbally. People will be sitting in a room filled with silence and still they do not see the need to utter a word or two.

Topic 6- Critical reflection 1 (Part 2)

Using McLuhan's "Tetrad of Media" (see diagram below), choose a medium or media application or tool (e.g. newspaper, books, radio, tv, film, internet, computer games, handphone, instant messaging, blogging, online advertising, youtube, facebook etc.) and explain its media effects? Please refer to Week 9's lecture notes plus your own research to discuss this topic.

The Media application that I choose is "BLOGGING". I feel the blogging has made a very big impact among the internet users. Take now for example, I am using this blog to do my blog assignment. All for critical reflections, personal reflections and everything that I've learnt in my media culture class is all or mostly stated here. So "blogging" has definitely made a deep impact in the media world.

topic 6 - critical reflection 1 (Part 1)

Taken from the WEEK 9 lecture notes.

Marshall McLuhan - the tetrad

Marshall McLuhan summarized his ideas about

media in a concise tetrad of media effects.

The tetrad is a means of examining the effects

on society of any technology/mdium and

explaining the social processes underlying the

adoption of a technology/medium by dividing

its effects into four categories.

Extract from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

McLuhan developed a basis for his thought around what he termed the

tetrad. The tetrad allowed McLuhan to apply four laws, framed as

questions, to a wide spectrum of mankind's endeavors, and thereby give

us a new tool for looking at our culture.

•The first of these questions or laws is

"What does it (the medium or technology) extend?"

In the case of a car it would be the foot, in the case a phone it would be the voice.

•The second question is

"What does it make obsolete?"

Again, one might answer that the car makes walking obsolete, and the phone makes smoke signals and carrier pigeons unnecessary.

•The third question asks,

"What is retrieved?"

The sense of adventure or quest is retrieved with the car, and the sense of community returns with the spread of telephone service. One might consider the rise of the cross-country vacation that accompanied the spread of automobile ownership.

•The fourth question asks,

"What does the technology reverse into if it is over extended?"

An over-extended automobile culture longs for the pedestrian lifestyle, and the over-extension of phone culture engenders a need for solitude.

the tetrad.

•An Example of McLuhan’s Technological determinism

•With the radio and television we have simultaneous access to events on the entire planet. However, television culture diminishes, or amputates, many of the close ties of family life based on oral communication. The simple act of turning on a television can reduce a room of people to silence.

Blog Assignment - Topic 8 (Final Topic!)

Blog Assignment - Topic 8 (Final Topic!) :

Dear Media Culture students,

Here is your eight topic for your Blog Assignment.This is your FINAL topic!

It’s typical for a new technology to be adapted within a culture and used to support existing patterns of behavior. With your own relevant examples, answer these questions.

1) What kind of culture influences through technology can you see from today’s world?
2) Is there a possibility to reshape the (new) culture today via new technology, How?

*you can use images and videos to support your arguments and ideas.

IMPORTANT: Do not take other people's words as your own. Please state your source when quoting someone or article.

DEADLINE: 12 midnight, Sunday, 26th April 2009

Each student must post at least 2 critical reflection on topic given (4%), 1 personal reflection on the media culture class (1%), over a period of 5 days to 7 days

*critical reflection means:

1) Think, ponder, reflect, debate and discuss the issue given
2) Make clear connections to the topic of discussion
3) Include supporting details and examples (you can use videos, audios, photos) to elaborate your points
4) Use correct spelling and grammar

Blog Assignment - Topic 7 :

Blog Assignment - Topic 7 :

Dear Media Culture students,

Here is your seventh topic for your Blog Assignment (one more to go!).

The documentary entitled "The Power of Nightmares (Part 3 - Shadow in the Cave)" by Adam Curtis was shown in class on Monday. How do you relate the information given to you in the documentary to the theory of Media Imperialism that we talked about in lecture?

(*for those who have not seen the documentary, you can either get it from U Torrent, YouTube or Google Videos. The documentary consists of three parts, you are to watch part 3 - shadow of the cave - for this topic discussion and watch part 1 and 2 at your own free time. Believe me, it's worth the watch!! Go to http://www.wanttoknow.info/powerofnightmares for initial research on this documentary. Lecture notes on Media Imperialism can be downloaded from MMLS lecture notes week 10.)

IMPORTANT: Do not take other people's words as your own. Please state your source when quoting someone or article.

DEADLINE: 12 midnight, Sunday, 19th April 2009

Each student must post at least 2 critical reflection on topic given (4%), 1 personal reflection on the media culture class (1%), over a period of 5 days to 7 days

*critical reflection means:

1) Think, ponder, reflect, debate and discuss the issue given
2) Make clear connections to the topic of discussion
3) Include supporting details and examples (you can use videos, audios, photos) to elaborate your points
4) Use correct spelling and grammar

Topic 6 - Blog Assignment

Topic 6 - Blog Assignment :

Dear Media Culture students,

Here is your sixth topic for your Blog Assignment.

Using McLuhan's "Tetrad of Media" (see diagram below), choose a medium or media application or tool (e.g. newspaper, books, radio, tv, film, internet, computer games, handphone, instant messaging, blogging, online advertising, youtube, facebook etc.) and explain its media effects? Please refer to Week 9's lecture notes plus your own research to discuss this topic.

IMPORTANT: Do not take other people's words as your own. Please state your source when quoting someone or article.

DEADLINE: 12 midnight, Sunday, 12th April 2009

Each student must post at least 2 critical reflection on topic given (4%), 1 personal reflection on the media culture class (1%), over a period of 5 days to 7 days

*critical reflection means:

1) Think, ponder, reflect, debate and discuss the issue given
2) Make clear connections to the topic of discussion
3) Include supporting details and examples (you can use videos, audios, photos) to elaborate your points
4) Use correct spelling and grammar

Topic 5 - critical reflection 2

Obscenity, pornography and indecency: What are the differences between these terms?

I think we are often times confused with these 3 words as they sound somewhat similar and the meanings are also somewhat similar. But for me, I think that the meaning lies in the severity of each word.

Indecency. What is indecency? It is the act of being indecent. So, what is being indecent? I think it is more of your character and how you portray yourself. Most of time you accuse someone of behaving indecently. So I think it portrays more of a person's character. Through the person's character, the way they dress can also portray the character of the person. So that is why sometimes we say that person's dressing is indecent.

Then, what is obscenity? It is the act of being obscene. So, what is being obscene? I think obscenity is somewhat similar to indecency. But it has more sexual or lust portrayed. Obscenity may be an act that defies the moral values of society or a person.

As for pornography, I think it involves more of graphic. Like "graphy" is more to the study of something, so pornography is like the study of porn. What is porn? Porn is like movies, magazines etc, portray naked/nude man/woman. I think it is more visual and much more sexual. It can be said a tool to satisfy a person's sexual needs.

Even though all 3 words have different meanings, I feel that the root or the core of it, is quite similar. It involves the moral values of society, sexuality etc.

Topic 5 - critical reflection 1

Definition of Obscenity

• the trait of behaving in an obscene manner
• an offensive or indecent word or phrase
  wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webw

Definition of obscene:

• designed to incite to indecency or lust; "the dance often becomes flagrantly obscene"-Margaret Mead
• abhorrent: offensive to the mind; "an abhorrent deed"; "the obscene massacre at Wounded Knee"; "morally repugnant customs"; "repulsive behavior"; "the most repulsive character in recent novels"
• lewd: suggestive of or tending to moral looseness; "lewd whisperings of a dirty old man"; "an indecent gesture"; "obscene telephone calls"; "salacious limericks"
  wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Definition of pornography:

• creative activity (writing or pictures or films etc.) of no literary or artistic value other than to stimulate sexual desire
  wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Pornography or porn is the explicit depiction of sexual subject matter with the sole intention of sexually exciting the viewer. It is to a certain extent similar to erotica, which is the use of sexually arousing imagery. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornography

Definition of pornographic - designed to arouse lust; "pornographic films and magazines"; "adult movies"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

definition of indecency:

• the quality of being indecent
• an indecent or improper act
  wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Decency is conformity to sociocultural standards of conduct and speech.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indecency

Definition of indecent:

• indecent - not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society; "was buried with indecent haste"; "indecorous behavior ...
• indecent - offensive to good taste especially in sexual matters; "an earthy but not indecent story"; "an indecent gesture"
• indecent - offending against sexual mores in conduct or appearance; "a bathing suit considered indecent by local standards"
  wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn