Media, Culture, and Identity

As we saw in Generation Like, the rise of social media since the mid-200o’s has given both brands and people alike the opportunity to showcase themselves online to garner “likes,” “subscribers,” or “followers.”

The documentary also had a brief segment on Youtubers and how they use their viewership to their own advantage as long as they parter with brands to advertise their products.

However, there has been some controversy in the Youtube world. One Youtuber named Sam Pepper is known for pulling ridiculous pranks and stunts in front of the camera to capture peoples attention and get lots of views. One of his pranks received a lot of attention– just not in a positive way. It’s called “Killing Best Friend Prank” and I’ll embed it below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBvX5dNdMK8

Apparently Sam Pepper had teamed up with Sam (another famous internet personality) and agreed to trick his best friend Colby, into thinking he got shot. In the video you can see Sam Pepper kidnapping both of them and shooting Sam right in front of Colby.

People have criticized this video because of the raw emotion it showed, as well as its immorality. To see all the controversy, you have to do is read the comments and look at the number of dislikes the video received.

It seems as though people will do anything to get likes nowadays. What do you think of this video? Do you think Sam Pepper has gone too far? Is his behavior less immoral because all three people know each other (as opposed to pulling this prank on a stranger)?

We talked in class today about the logic of safety in a lot of TV shows, and mentioned the Netflix show “Making a Murderer”. In some ways it does follow the cookie cutter description for a crime/murder show, but in a few ways its also different. This article discusses some of those differences, and also addresses how it is still such a popular show even though it does not completely follow the logic of safety. One thing I noted about the show that is different (not mentioned in the article) is that at the end of the series the audience is not given a definite answer to who killed Teresa Halbach, as in most other crime shows we always know who the killer is. Let me know your thoughts!

-Taylor Block

I remember seeing this video about a year ago and thought it would serve as a good example for our discussion in class the other day regarding Frederic Jameson and the media culture. The video does a really good job at capturing   the concepts of parody and pastiche that occur throughout the music industry. Take a look!

I read recently that Netflix now has 75 million subscribers, collecting 17 million of them this year, with 5.6 million in the past three months. Their shares have gone up 100% in the past year, and thus the Netflix investors and executives are optimistic for the future. However, this Netflix success is making a lot of TV executives anxious. One of the biggest differences between Netflix and regular television is that the content creators of Netflix series don’t have to worry about weekly ratings pressures like the creators of regular television series do. This is just another example, as also described in Media/Society, of how multiple variables affect media content and influence the content creators to produce shows that will be non-controvertial and focused on ratings.

Another point that was brought up in the article, is how much money Netflix spends on acquiring and producing content. This often causes them to produce meager profits, compared to how much revenue they’re pulling in. This is just another example of how much capital goes into the product of media, especially television and movies, and how important it is for networks, content creators, and online streamers such as Netflix to produce “hits” so that they bring in a ton of revenue to compensate for all of the shows that aren’t as popular.

I just thought that these were interesting points regarding the strengths/pressures of Netflix that I hadn’t know before! Let me know your thoughts on why you think Netflix dominates the online TV streaming industry!

-Amy Littleson

http://twitter.com/iamkoby/status/689521611611971588/photo/1

Israeli entrepreneur and law student Koby Soto tweeted a snap of his heart rate on the day he was unexpectedly dumped.

Full Story: http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/22/tech/koby-soto-fitbit-heartbreak/index.html?sr=fbCNN012216koby-soto-fitbit-heartbreak0247PMStoryLink&linkId=20580688

It’s that time of year again. It’s Oscar season. Since we were in class when this year’s nominees were being announced, you can check out the full show below:

To summarize, here are the nominees:

The nominee list has sparked much debate and criticism. Consider: are there actors who you might add to this list?

The criticism has also led some to argue that this is “just an awards show.” Is it? Why are we discussing the Oscars? Thinking about yesterday’s introductory discussion of celebrity, image, and visual culture, what do the Oscars mean?

Welcome to the course blog for RHCS 105: Media, Culture, and Identity.

This course introduces students to the basic theoretical frameworks and concepts in media studies. Through close analysis of a variety of texts including, but not limited to, films, music, television programs, and magazines, students will explore the ways in which culture is produced and consumed. Case studies and other examples will provide entry points into thinking about how culture shapes and also is informed by individual and collective identities.

 Course Objectives

• To introduce students to different conceptual themes and theoretical approaches to the study of media.
• To examine the means by which various media are produced and consumed by audiences.
• To examine the basic theoretical frameworks which underlie social scientific approaches to media.
• To evaluate a variety of mass media texts using critical approaches.

I look forward to working with you this semester!

All the best,
Dr. Maurantonio