Interactions – Page 2 – Media, Culture, Identity

Mimi Bainbridge: ArcGIS StoryMap

Mimi Bainbridge December 8, 2021 No Comments

In my StoryMap, I chose to take a closer look at the keyword gaze. I began with providing a definition of my keyword and then went deeper into the context of the two types. Those types being the female and male gaze. I was able to provide what aspects cause both gazes to differ. From there, the StoryMap continues to look into films such as James Bond, Little Women, Clueless, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to showcase examples of what each gaze could look like in the media world and how it has remained prominent through the years. Lastly, I also chose to include how a character could manage to change their look so drastically based on who exactly was set to direct the film. My StoryMap helps conclude that both the male and female gaze are alive and well and raises questions as to whether there will ever be change.

Link: https://arcg.is/0XaWTD1

Gaze ArcGIS StoryMap – Mary Beatty

Mary Beatty December 7, 2021 No Comments

My StoryMap revolves around the keyword gaze and its cultural influence. I chose gaze because as one of the convergence keywords, I was able to demonstrate the intersection of many facets of identity. From the chapter, I looked more into Laura Mulvey’s definition of Male Gaze and how that’s been expanded upon to include the portrayal of sexuality and race as well as other characteristics of the self on the screen. I included examples of media types such as films, but also photography and animation and their influence on the younger audiences. Ultimately, I learned that we have not come very far from Laura Mulvey’s understanding of gaze and used technology in more advanced ways to perpetuate prejudice and discrimination. However, that is not to say that there has not been any progress. I was optimistic in the wealth of scholarly sources and news media op-eds out there discussing this issue and ways to solve it. I was particularly disgusted by the pervasiveness of headless women in movie covers that can be seen in my StoryMap. I hope to learn about what surprised all of you! Thank you for a wonderful semester!

Link: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5aef639ce3bf44ebb5bbedf22f7b6318

ArcGIS Story Map on Networks- Bella Kjellen

Maria Isabella Kjellen December 7, 2021 No Comments

For my story map, I decided to explore the media keyword Network. My story map describes what a network truly is and the components which make up social networks. I then cover real-world examples of social networking platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, The Social Network, and the Netflix documentary “Don’t F**k With Cats”. I chose networks because I think that it is a very important concept when thinking about communication studies and media. The idea of networks creating inner webs within our large population is extremely fascinating to me, as well as how networks have been globalized through social media. I think that there is a lot of benefits with online network systems (as seen in the embedded documentary) and this has aided our society heavily. While Facebook is slightly outdated compared to other platforms such as Snapchat or Instagram, situations such as the 5-hour Facebook shutdown that happened a few months ago, highlight the true importance of networks on both a social and economic scale. Networks hold the power of managing interpersonal connections, creating opportunities, and giving everyone a place in society. The relational hierarchy is dependent on user interaction and essentially highlights the interests of the world. As a whole, networks are a great way to map out the interactions and connections of our fast-paced and information-filled society.

Link to my story map: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/8217c98641ea470282edac4f1c69adf9

Race ArgGIS StoryMap- Thomas Takele

Thomas Takele December 7, 2021 No Comments

The keyword I chose is race. I chose this keyword because it is something that I feel the repercussions of every day. Whether it be directly or indirectly, I am affected by racial stereotypes and the remnants of them. I chose to analyze its intersection with photography because photography is something I love. Its ability to tell a story just by capturing a single moment is beautiful. I believe the connection between these two things is very important because photography is often used to show the story of people who are not usually represented. These ideas in the past and present are explored in my story map.

Here is the link: Race and Photography

Thank you!

Feminism ArcGIS StoryMap – Chloe Whelan

Chloe Whelan December 6, 2021 No Comments

For my project, I chose to focus on the keyword feminism. From both the keyword reading and my own research, I was able to see how the definition of feminism has changed over time. Feminism began in the late 1800s and was primarily driven by the women’s suffrage movement in the early 1900s. Since the ratification of the 19th amendment, women have gained significantly more political and social freedom, though inequality among the sexes persists. This is reflected across media, where the male gaze persists as a dominant force perpetuating systematic sexism. What began as a fight for equality between men and women has grown into intersectional feminism. In order to illustrate this progression, I examined each wave of the feminist movement and identified multiple examples across media that reflect the way that the definition of feminism has evolved.

Storyboard:

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/52a5c0bfd6c243bc8c38774ea1e8282

Keyword Reading Citation:

J. Douglas, S. (2017). Feminism. In L. Ouellette & J. Gray (Eds.), Keywords for Media Studies (pp. 68–72). NYU Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1gk08zz.66

Benjamin Cudmore: Network StoryMap

Benjamin Cudmore December 6, 2021 No Comments

One Paragraph Summary (StoryMap Link Below) :

I explored the keyword network through my StoryMap by providing examples of definitions, depictions of it in media, interpretations of it by media, and examples of how it is integrated into society. I chose the Keyword network because I believe that networking is an essential tool when promoting oneself or others, making it very beneficial for people interested in theatre and film like me. As I was working on this project, I also decided to tamper with the themes. From there, I created a similar style to Facebook to make the theme fit. After figuring out my design, I started out by defining network as “the relationship between independents.” I then created a list of different definitions of the application of network as seen in the reading. The next section focused on the depiction of network in media, specifically movies. Utilizing different clips from movies as examples, I compared the movies’ narratives to the the definition section’s different applications of network. After creating that section, I moved onto discovering articles and a podcast series that each of different interpretations of network. For each of these pieces of media, I wrote a short summary of what its creators talk about. Looking back at the history of network, I chose to follow how it was integrated into society starting with networking in social interactions to present day social networking. At the bottom of the StoryMap is a short list of links of the images.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/8a391832e469441289e674234efa77ef

StoryMap: Gwen Savidge – gaze

Gwendolyn Savidge December 6, 2021 No Comments

https://arcg.is/1XTveH

Through the use of the keyword gaze, my Storymap dives deeper into the meaning of this keyword. Two different types of gazes explained are the male gaze and the female gaze. The male gaze is known to sexualize and objectify women within movies, shows, images, and even in real-world scenarios. An example of this is in movies when the man is known to save the women, leaving the women helpless and in need of a male savior. However, on the contrary, the female gaze is when the view of women is as people rather than as objects. When applying the female gaze into a movie scenario, women are successful and do not need a man to be someone. For example, in the movie Legally Blonde, Elle becomes a lawyer and learns to not depend on a man for value. Another lens within the media that relates to the keyword gaze is the gaze within social media. On apps such as Instagram, influencers like Kim Kardashian have been known to photoshop their images in order to look more appealing to the audience. As these highly influential people edit their images, they create a gaze that is unrealistic and creates unrealistic ideals for other men and women. Not only does the gaze within the media reflect on others, but the cultural gaze within the media has created a community that stereotypes others. These stereotypes created by the cultural gaze form a negative or positive stigma that segregates our community. While everyone has their personal gaze on society and life, we can all learn and improve our gaze upon the world.

Abby Bangs-Surveillance

Abigail Bangs December 2, 2021 No Comments

I believe that the specific act of surveillance such as “life 360” acts as a lens for the keyword “surveillance”. Life 360 is an app created to keep track of different people in a person’s life; it acts to keep track of locations, leaving home, entering home, etc. It is most commonly used among parents to observe their child’s safety, however a lot of the time it establishes a level of distrust, as well as an unwanted level of transparency and an invasion of privacy. The essay establishes “surveillance” as more of an act to observe something (survey) for the means of obtaining data (to some extent.) Contrasting to gaze, which is more objectified and subjective, surveillance establishes a level of observance for the obtainment of some sort of data. Therefore, life 360 acts as a lens for surveillance as it seeks to track data of the individuals who use it. What is important here is that not only can people keep track of people, for example, parent keeps track of children, the app itself is keeping track of all the users. What establishes the right to privacy if data is constantly being tracked through things such as life 360, or even simple social medial such as instagram?

Alvin – Surveillance

Alvin Mugarura December 2, 2021 No Comments

According to the keyword essay, surveillance is “watching over somebody’s action” . It is everywhere and almost unavoidable due to the ever growing forms of technology. The only problem is the type of the surveillance. Involuntary surveillance that has been incorporated into the media for example the dataveillance that is common with social media apps like Instagram which surveils its users daily with voice track feature for reasons of profit maximization is undeniably disliked by the majority. The keyword surveillance reminds me of the TV show Person of Interest where there is a clear concept of power in surveillance through the government which completely eliminates public privacy. In this case, surveillance is a double edged sword because it provides evidence of human action that can be helpful but also at the same time surveillance manipulates human behavior with the need to stay safe

Surveillance – JT Windle

Justin Windle December 2, 2021 No Comments

The book defines surveillance as “any form of systematic attention to whether rules are obeyed, to who obeys and who does not, and how those who deviate can be located and sanctioned.” Surveillance has appeared in some form or another for centuries. In the era before digital technology, surveillance appeared in the form of military or police services. However, as the need for surveillance has increased in the modern era, new technology has been developed allowing people to track others’ activity at all times. This includes security cameras and forms of hacking technology allowing people to see through the cameras of smart devices. While this technology has certainly been useful in preventing and solving crimes, it also comes with many negatives. People have used surveillance technology to film people in unwanted situations. Historically in America, minority groups have been disproportionately targeted by government surveillance. In China, the government has a massive surveillance system that is able to identify its citizens and a shocking amount of information about them. Surveillance can create distrust between people and the government. While it is important to note how much surveillance has done for us, it is also important to note the dangers of it.