Zeiner, blog 24, Media manipulation

Today in class we watched a movie about the relationship between the US government and the Media. And the focus was on the whole situation that arose during the start of the Iraq war.  I was not aware of this situation at all, and became very surprised from what I saw. It certainly is a serious issue. The months before the US went to war against Iraq, the Bush administration literarily used the media, and the news papers in specific, in order to confide the people about the decision of declaring war on Iraq. The US administration stated they had proof saying that Saddam Houssein was creating illegal weapons; biological, chemical and nuclear devices. They saw Houssein as a threat in multiple different ways, and wanted to do something about this situation. And in order to give the people a good kind of confidence that this was the right thing to do, the administration manipulated the media, so that they would write the articles which supported their case. Journalists wrote about the reports they had seen which more or less proofed that Houssein carried and developed illegal weapons, and these reports were the same as were sent to the White House. Therefore, they trusted these reports, and wrote about what they saw. What the journalists did not know, was that some of the reports and the sources they used were false. The US administration had developed something like a conspiracy to manipulate the press. The press wrote what the administration wanted them to write, so the people would have more confidence in them and their decisions. It all developed like a loop that kept on going. However, US failed to find what they were looking for during the first months of invation in Iraq. And this became clear to the people, and strong reactions started to come. The Administration was under a high pressure, and after a while it also became clear that some of the sources the journalists had used several months ago were false. Slowly, but surely, the press understood they had been manipulated. The discussions were loud and clear, and most people made up their own opinion about the matter. It even came to court, and it all became very serious. Many claim that this situation has damaged the credibility of the media. Others say that the way the US administration manipulated them in order to achieve public confidence in their decisions is way out of line. We did not get to the end of the film during class, so I do not know how this whole issue ended. But it definitely is an interesting case. On the one hand, you can say journalists are required to be positive of their sources. On the other hand, having sources used by the US administration shouldn’t make it necessary to be as critical as usual. There is a lot to this case, and I don’t think there will be a straight right and wrong. Both sides did something out of order, and it will be interesting to see who will be the ones to blame for it.

Zeiner, blog 23, “A More Perfect Union”

In class on Wednesday, we saw the speech ”A More Perfect Union” by Barack Obama, made march 18^th. This is one of the greatest speeches made about civil rights ever made, and is likely to be an important part of Obama’s election campaign. He spoke to the American people as if they were grown up and mature people, and he presented some great thoughts and theories in a pleasing way.         It is 221 years since the “Declaration of Independence” was formed, but there is still an issue about racism in the United States. Numerous people have tried to fight this problem, and during this whole period of time, we have witnessed strong improvement. But as stated earlier, racism is still a big problem in this country. Obama talks about this problem in a great way, and really make us believe that solving this problem is possible. He believes that we must stand together, and that we have to fight for a better freedom for our children and grand children. He says: “We cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together”. And this is exactly what we have to do. The segregation between the different races in this country is still big, but the only way of improving this situation is if we all go together to try to improve the union.          After having been here in the States for about 8 months, I see the racial issues very clearly. I honestly did not expect the differences between the colors and races to be this big when I first entered the country, and I have become surprised by the situation. It is really a big segregation between the African-American population, and the white population. And I cannot understand why this is still going on. I realize that this goes far back to history, and many people still feel humiliation and fear from years of oppression. Many blacks were ultimately defeated by discrimination. But the world is changing in all kinds of ways, and we are continuously moving towards a more global and united world. Why should we then face such racial problems here in the US; the greatest superpower in the world?         All texts can be analyzed. “A More Perfect Union” can be analyzed as well, and first and foremost, this speech is a fresh media text. It is made by creators wanting to inform the viewers, and includes several narratives; stories. Obama refers to several different stories and happenings throughout his text, in order to exemplify and make his point even clearer. You can also look at his text as pragmatic art; a text that has certain functions. This text certainly has a function to inform and persuade the viewers of what Obama’s view upon the racial issues is, at the same time as persuading the viewers that Obama is the right person to take the role as president of the United States. Also, the text has enormous power, and Obama says this out to the entire world, exemplifying the racial problems the US currently are facing, and stating what he thinks can be the resolution. Obama knows that he reaches out to the entire world during this election campaign, but by doing such a speech, he will also make an impression on those who actually hear what he says.          Obama has a lot of good points, and he has made a speech about civil rights which will remain in history as one of the great speeches about this particular issue. Being an African- American himself, he certainly has a good knowledge and background for making such a speech, and he really make us believe that we can solve this problem. I particularly liked one sentence of his: “This union may never be perfect. But, it can always be perfected”. And this is exactly to the point. We can’t expect racism to disappear next week, next month, next year or might even next decade. But we can go up the lather step by step, and try to unite this union slowly but safely. Integration will begin with communication among blacks and whites, and among people of different backgrounds and races. We should start today, maybe we’ll see some improvement tomorrow. As an ending to my text, I quote Obama saying: “All men and women of all backgrounds and colors should live together, work together, fight together and bleed together”.

Zeiner, Blog 22, Political commercials

Today in class we watched one of Hillary Clinton’s campaign commercials. It is called “3 am”, and shows how defenseless we can be. But she explains how she will be there to protect us, and she says she is ready to take the role as president of the most powerful state in the World. It is a strong commercial, and uses different techniques to make a strong impression on the viewers. It shows small children being asleep, and really tries to hit our emotions.

            This commercial is art. It is appealing to us, it is intentional, it lets people interpret it in different ways, and artists have worked behind it to make it into what it is. The commercial can also be said to be a “convention”; which refers to a reuse of something; it’s kind of like a recycling process put into the art. Because the clips of the sleeping children are made several years ago, and were used in another situation. And one problem with this commercial is that one of the young girls in the commercial is now grown up, and helps Obama with his campaign! And obviously, being used in a Hillary commercial is then not a preferred thing for this lady.

I think the commercial actually is good; it plays with my emotions, and I feel I understand the text it carries. The narrative is meaningful and has a purpose. However, I would like to see it a bit more inventional; that it was a new approach – used something that was brand new, and could not be connected back to the previous. I think those commercials can be more meaningful, and shows that this all really is the candidate’s idea, and something which is well thought thorough.

To me, the whole thing about watching political commercials is weird. I come from Norway; a country in which political commercials through media is illegal. I personally think this is good – then the campaign is less about money, and more about the actual politics. The political campaigns here in the States spend serious amounts of money. Imagine what we rather could have used this money on, than making commercials and approaches through media! Back to the Hillary’s “3 am” commercial; I like it and I find it appealing, however; I wish I hadn’t seen it at all. I find this media war between the candidates rather ridiculous and a waste of money, and think the focus should have been more of what you have to offer your country as a president – not comparisons so that you can emphasize your opponent’s weaknesses.

Zeiner, blog 21, the world in change

Currently, I am studying a year in America, as an exchange student from Norway. I absolutely love it here, and have the time of my life. But I am a person who is very close to family and friends at home, and was wondering about how it would be being so far away from those I love more than anything in the whole world for such a long period of time.

            Before I came, I downloaded the chatting program “skype” to my computer, bought headset and a web camera, and did the same on my family’s computers. Also, I have the chatting program MSN Messenger, which a lot of my friends use. Skype is a program which lets you chat or talk with friends live through computers. MSN Messenger basically offers the same services, but what extinguishes Skype from MSN is that it lets you call out from your computer to cell phones and home phones, as long as you have an account with “skype credit” on. With other words: these two programs, together with multiple other ones, let you stay in touch with the entire world just with a few clicks.

            It is quite unbelievable how this has developed; that it is possible to do such a thing. I can talk with my family and friends and see them on my screen, and practically feel that I am there with them. I stayed here in the US over Christmas Break, and on Christmas Eve I was talking with my family at home for a couple of hours, to be able to be a part of the traditional celebration that I always have been a part of. The time difference allowed me to take part both in the Norwegian celebration as well as the American one. Just a few years back, most people didn’t even have a cell phone to call their friend on the other side of town. Now, computers and internet allows you to practically physically be a part of two different Christmas celebrations on two different sides of the world, only with a few hours in between. I find it very interesting to think about, and to see how media and technology has shrinked the world into one large community. Being here in America for a year, far away from my family and friends is not really any problem these days. We can all communicate with each other, no matter where in the world we might be. Technology is there to help you – technology is there to be used.

Zeiner, Blog 20, The world of blogging

A blog is an online dairy which is frequently updated, and it’s a way to communicate with the rest of the world. You can express your feelings, thoughts, concerns, experiences or whatever you might want to share with everyone else. About 1/3 of the American population knows what a blog is, and 32 million in this country read blogs close to daily.

            I personally don’t read a large amount of blogs, but every once in a while I find myself reading something published by private citizens. It is interesting to see what people “like you” have to say about certain themes, and either find yourself strongly agreeing or disagreeing. Reading blogs can be valuable, and present you to new aspects of certain issues. But they can also be disleading, and at certain times not verifying the sources being used can get serious consequences.

            The bloggers build up a community and large network. In each blog, you can make links to other blogs. That way the readers can move throughout the world of blogs like a cyclone – and you can start reading one thing, while ending up reading something completely different. They can blog about whatever they want, and there aren’t a lot of restrictions for them. There are different opinions whether blogging should be included in the media, or if bloggers just should be considered private citizens. After all, bloggers do write for an audience, on the other hand: most blogs are only read by a small amount of people, and normally don’t reach out far.

            However, bloggers have a lot of power. They can reach out, convince people about their theories and thoughts, and every once in a while a blog turns out to get serious consequences. If one person finds extravagant information which he blogs about, and several people pick this up, the ball starts rolling. One blog can lead to another, and suddenly a large amount of people can be concerned with this exact topic. For example, the whole issue in which Barak Obama was presented as a Muslim. The blogging started, and people thought he was going to take over the White House and be dressed and act like a Muslim once he got in there. Obama had to use a whole week of his election campaign on sorting this out, only because a person posted a picture of him dressed like that, and because of all the blogging that started.

            All in all: the power of the cyberspace only grows, and becomes a bigger and bigger part of our lives. Journalists aren’t the only people who have a strong power while writing about daily themes and issues – today practically everyone can act like a journalist throughout writing for an audience through blogging. Most blogs aren’t being read by a large amount of people, while some get serious consequences. The world of blogging is in a strong, publishing power.

Zeiner, blog 19: Just because we can do it, does it mean that we have to do it?

In today’s world absolutely everything develops and changes. Media, industry, economics, politics, you name it. The world has never stood still, and will never stand still in the future either. But with these changes, growing responsibilities come along. With today’s inventions, humans can do practically whatever they want, and our possibilities of affecting the world grows, as well as our chances of changing the natural order of things. But just because we can do something; does that mean we have to do it?

            The answer to this question is no, of course. If we had taken the most out of every single invention and every single idea, the world wouldn’t have been what it is today. Human kind has learnt to control our desire of exploring and taking control of things we aren’t really supposed to be in control of. But is this trend changing? Is the development of media contributing to a negative change of how we use our inventions and devices that are in a constant change? In the example on page 128 in Berger, we get a representation of the deeper meaning of video games. They’re not only a toy we use to play with – they have an underlying meaning in several different ways. Can videogames simply be some sort of substitution for the desire of control that is within us? That we get to control people around, make them do what we want them to do, and simply take charge? Make changes and do imaginary things?

            This is a critical question to ask. Maybe the answer is no, but this whole control that humans experience to have in a somewhat fake way through media devices such as videogames and other devices can contribute to a change of perspective. As stated in Berger – they can simply enough make us focus more upon ourselves and forget about our social obligations. And moving on – this can affect our values and morals, and also have an impact on our inner desire of control and exploring. With the change we are facing in the world today, it is important to realize that we cannot make the most out of every single device and every single invention coming into this world. Just because we can do it, does NOT mean we have to do it!

Zeiner, blog 18: What does TV add to our culture?

Recent surveys show that those people being heavy TV-watchers have more unrealistic views upon life and reality compared to the more light TV-viewers. Those who spend hours and hours in front of the screen get influenced by what they see and hear, and that is certainly not only educational and useful documentaries and shows.

            Berger says that “TV destroys reality”. And to a certain degree, I really do believe that is true. TV becomes a bigger and bigger part of many people’s lives, and several are becoming “TV morons”. Some people would might say that the selection of TV programs and shows is growing, while I most certainly would say it’s decreasing. The number of TV channels and number of programs and shows are growing, however – that’s only the quantity. The quality, on the other hand, is not growing, in fact – I personally think it’s the total opposite. When you sap through the channels, you see more or less the same on every channel – only that the programs are named differently and have different characters. The programs provided on TV are more and more intended to entertain people rather to educate, and often do we see this entertainment as unrealistic. They make the image upon reality very different and wrong from what it should be, and even the reality shows are unrealistic. And of course – this really do have an influence on people when they spend several hours a day watching these shows and programs. For example: what is real about the show “the Bachelor”? Do we ever see it happen that 20 gorgeous girls are competing to date this one guy, and then one lady stands left as the “winner”? I don’t think so. Also, when we see different kinds of shows, films and series, we see all these super fit and skinny models, who more or less have the “perfect” body. What is real about that? The only thing that seeing stuff like that leads to, is that young people, girls especially, get this wrong image of what you’re supposed to look like. Our standards in general become all messed up by watching all these different shows, and we judge out of what we see on TV, as well as from how we see our idols dress and look like. These are only a few small examples of how TV can have a bad influence on our culture and population. There are also numerous others, but it would take me forever to list them all here…

            People ask: Do TV really add something to our culture? Of course it does. There are multiple educational programs, useful documentaries and other shows which provide us with useful information and increase our knowledge and views upon life. The only problem is that these programs are in a minority when it comes to ratings and popularity. People tend not to watch these programs as much as other more or less “useless” programs if I may use that word, and those programs more often don’t really add anything to our culture. What it adds, are messed up thoughts and views upon reality. We really should change our habits of watching TV – it would improve our culture in several different ways!

Zeiner, blog 17: shouldn’t the school system change with the rest of the culture?

The accessibility of all kinds of media devices has certainly changed our culture and world in a numerous different ways. You can get information about practically whatever you want by a few clicks on your computer, turning on your TV, listening to the radio etc. The information is available more or less whenever and wherever, and you don’t really have to walk around knowing all these different theories, history and happenings, when you more easily and correctly can look them up online.

            The fact that finding information about whatever we want easy as anything, has changed our culture in many ways. That being said, shouldn’t it also come more or less natural that it changes the way we learn in school, as well? It is not a secret that most students are cramming their curriculum before tests and exams. But unfortunately, most of what you learnt and remembered for the test is gone by the end of the next week. What is the point of studying like maniacs for different tests, when we don’t actually process it the way we should, and forget most of it? Isn’t there any other way that we could learn, instead of cramming for one week, and then forget everything the next?

            We live in an information age, and practically everything we need to know is only a few clicks away from us. I am certainly not saying that we shouldn’t learn anything at all – I am rather saying that I think we should change the style of learning. Albert Einstein said that he didn’t even know his own phone number, because he didn’t see the point of using time and space on learning something he could look up that easily. And that can actually be said about today’s culture as well – is there any point cramming about something we more easily can look up? Isn’t it better to use our creativity and abilities to develop ourselves, as well as try to improve and influence the culture in which we live? Several surveys have been made, and a lot of them show that students who don’t take big tests and cram their entire curriculum, but rather read, discuss and write about topics learn, process and remember more than students who cram the same topics. Those who don’t have to cram, learn the subjects in a more interesting way, get to use their own abilities to look up information, read, process, develop own thoughts, questions and theories, rather than cramming something else which other people already said a long time before them.

            From time to time, I certainly think that we shall have tests and exams in school, however – I wish we could develop a somewhat more modern way of having these tests. When the rest of the world and culture have changed so significantly the last decades, why shouldn’t the way we learn and process things change as well? I think the school system is up for a change, and it has to be soon, in order to keep up with the rest of our culture…

Zeiner, blog 16: Analyzing the market.

Being a marketing researcher must be quite a difficult job. The variety of channels, shows and programs grows constantly, and this leads to an even bigger audience specialization. Not everyone likes the same things, watches the same shows etc, and when the diversity of choices is as big as it is today, these analyzes are complicated.

            Through the last study sessions, I have become aware of the difference between broadcasting and narrowcasting. In broadcasting, you try to deliver to as many people as possible, as opposed to narrowcasting, where you try to narrow your advertising down to a certain group of people in which most people are likely to purchase your product. The motion of narrowcasting and broadcasting is very important, and I do hope and believe that we will see more narrowcasting in the future, compared to the last decades. What is the point of broadcasting a commercial to a group of a thousand people, if only 200 purchase it? Isn’t it better to narrow the group down, so that your ratings and shares grow? Personally, I often see commercials and advertisements that are far away from what hits me, and I keep asking myself: isn’t better to narrowcast these commercials to a smaller group of people in which more people are likely to go for the product? From time to time, a lack of demographic and psychographic analyzes stands out very clearly, as well as analyzes of different affiliations among people. I repeat myself: being a marketing researcher seems like a difficult job, and the factors that have to be taken into consideration in every single aspect of different decisions are multiple. Making all decisions right is difficult, however – if you actually manage to hit your target in the right way, the sky is the limit of your success!

            The motion about ratings and shares is also important when it comes to marketing research. These are numbers used by advertisers and programmers to figure out how many people watch a TV show, listen to a radio channel etc. The ratings are based on the public in general; how many watches one channel out of all households having a TV. On the other hand, shares are the number of people tuned in on one particular show out of all people actually having their TV turned on. The number of shares gives a more accurate and countable number, and I think there should be more focus on the shares bigger rather than the ratings – when it all comes down to it, the highest percentage of people actually having their different medium turned on is what you want.

            Marketing research is complicated and comprehensive, yet extremely important in today’s multimedia world. Reaching the market is the most important factor in selling a variety of products, shows, channels etc. Our selection is enormous, and coincidences can decide whether you go for on product in front of another. The importance of these researches and analyses will continue to grow as the world of media grows, and knowledge is the key to success.

Zeiner, Blog 15: The new use of cell phones threatens our private life.

I recently came back from a vacation on Hawaii, where I enjoyed days on the beach, surfing, snorkeling and having fun. But one day was different from the other ones. I was with my friends from Norway; all blond and tall, and we were lying on the beach. Suddenly, we heard all these guys laughing in the back, and at first we didn’t really get what was going on. But eventually, we realized that they were filming and taking pictures of us with their cell phones, and bragging about it to other people walking by. We didn’t really react more than that we just walked away and lied on another spot, but we were all fairly mad. Why couldn’t they just come up and ask to take a picture with us, if they really wanted to? Instead of taking all these photos without our permission or knowledge about it?

            The multimedia world expands every single day, and the new use of cell phones has really decreased the private life of many people. Being able to take pictures and videos of other people without them realizing it, because it looks like you’re writing a text or just checking your phone, isn’t just positive. I come from Norway, and one time, a lady sued a man because he took pictures and videos, and posted them on the internet. She didn’t know about this until they had been on the web for a while, and she simply sued the guy. And she also won!

            Is there anything we can do to prevent things like this from happening? I am sure that a lot of people have experienced the same: someone taking pictures and videos of you, without your permission to do so. It is not very pleasant for the people it affects, and it certainly decreases the private life of many people. As the multimedia world continues to expand, the private life of many people continues to decrease.