The Best of Culture Jamming

Culture jamming is becoming more and more popular in proving a point by large groups going against the norm publicly. This has been apparent with such groups including Improv Everywhere. The goal of this group is simply to create chaos and joy. Scenes include extremely random material such as no pants subway and human mirror. One scene that is my personal favourite is “Operation Best Buy” which included 80 Improv Everywhere agents dressed in khakis and blue polo's to cause chaos in the store. These scenes provide an effective way to escape the norm of everyday society and poke fun at daily life. Although there really is no social cause associated with this group, they go against culture by making fun of it. Improv Everywhere makes fun of popular culture. An example of this is when 100 shirtless men walked into Abercrombie and Fitch in order to target their nature of advertising topless buff men. This sort of cultural jamming is effective at making people laugh about our homogeneous ways of living. Culture jamming can be used to pressure government and corporations; however the true form of culture jamming used by Improv Everywhere is by creating joy. The culture jamming group Improv Everywhere purposely stays neutral to any cause in order to keep the joy and chaos alive without any biases. Although, they are not productive in bringing change to government and business culture they offer the gift of delight to victims who witness a scene. Overall, Improv Everywhere is successful in receiving global attention for comically drawing awareness to society’s popular culture and its flaws.

The Dire Need for Media Education

National Media Education Week was an effective way at targeting youth to think critically of media technologies. Whether it is the internet or common television, this campaign was aimed at providing teachers with curriculum to teach students the dangers of media technologies. National Media Education Week was even sponsored by CTVGlobemedia with advertisements during the campaign week. I found it difficult to participate in this week due to my position as a student but I wanted to spread the word on how this movement is aimed at teaching students, therefore I emailed the link to my old guidance councillor from high school. She placed a poster of National Media Education Week in the staff room in order to promote the cause. I am not sure if anything was accomplished but I do know that several courses in my high school outline the importance of critical thinking when using the media in any way. National Media Education Week can also be used to target cyber bullying and to prove that technology can be abused. It is important to have such a campaign to incorporate media awareness into the education system in Canada. However, from my personal experiences there is not enough of this education available for students in grade eight and nine (the transitional grades). Hopefully this campaign will increase the urgency for more media education during those years.

Buy Nothing Day

A well known method of raising awareness for over consumption is Buy Nothing Day. Over consumption definitely must be depicted as a problem of the western world and targeted in an innovative fashion. Buy Nothing Day provides innovation and simplicity in order to awake consumers of the problems facing capitalism. Over consumption can lead to serious environment hazards as well as economic stress on producing countries. I believe that on November 28th 2008, Buy Nothing Day will be extremely significant since globally we are facing an economic crisis. This day will focus on how we have reached a dead end with capitalism and globalization in light of the economic catastrophe. Today we face the reality that this system of over consumption and globalization may not be totally fool proof. The unsustainable factors of over consumption are being exposed at a rapid pace. Greenhouse Gas emissions are rising in developing countries that produce everyday products for the western world while economic uncertainty burdens global production. These factors must lead to us questioning our current business model and I believe that is what Buy Nothing Day will accomplish. Everyone is feeling the severe consequences with this system which could also increase the amount of participants in this day of awareness. Since I live on campus, it may be difficult in not purchasing any goods such as meals from large companies but I will make sure that all purchases are locally produced. This day is a perfect method of bringing awareness to a global scale about the consequences of our economic model and over consumption.

The Risks Associated With Media Hegemonies

If there is anything that I have learned throughout the years is that you must know where your information is coming from. In today’s society, the media is being overwhelmed by special interests of companies. Media hegemonies existing in Canada and the US are taking over Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by cross media ownership. I will be analyzing just how much the controversially republican company News Corporation owns. According to www.thenation.com, News Corporation is the owner of Fox, Twentieth Century Fox, Sky Italia and 67 percent of the National Geographic channel. This results in viewers being bombarded by this company and their interests on television and film. There have been many accounts that link fox to manipulating the news and the fact that they control so many news channels does not help. Furthermore, I found even more news companies that News Corporation owns such as The New York Post, The Sun, The Times and The Daily Telegraph in Australia. It is easy to notice the international news coverage that News Corporation possesses. Their ownership does not end there; they also master the publishing company HarperCollins Publishers and Reagan Books. An interesting fact is that this massive corporation also owns the blogging website MySpace. This company owns media companies that are situated all over the world. The problem associated with cross media ownership is that personal interests of CEOs are included in the majority of news stories. One compelling story demonstrating how Fox manipulated news coverage was regarding the case of Jane Akre and Steve Wilson who were silenced for a story written about the giant company Monsanto. The major company threatened Fox about the story, leading to Fox trying to suppress the reporters. This eventually led to the firing of these reporters and a lawsuit against Fox. In other words, this is an implication of cross media ownership since the CEOs rely on other large businesses for funding in advertisement which can lead to immense pressure on controversial stories. This of course makes us victims of cross media ownership.

Danger, Risk of Privatization

When net neutrality and the dangers associated with them were introduced in class I was left disturbed. Before this class, I had no idea our internet was under such danger from big companies. The fact that corporations are trying to earn the authority to manipulate our internet in order to induce the user into using their services is revolting. Professor Lipton made it clear that the President in waiting Barack Obama is opposed to halting net neutrality. This means he is in favour of a democratic internet process where all sites have the same speed and priority without any private interference. The most important feature of this battle between public and private internet in respects to Canada is the fact that big networking companies are lobbying the government. These companies have publicly admitted that they do not necessarily support net neutrality. Jacqueline Michelis a representative of Bell Canada told the CBC their opinion on the democracy of internet “our position on network diversity/neutrality is that it should be determined by market forces, not regulation”. The fact that as of now the internet is under risk of becoming s privately beneficial mean of media is sickening. How long until the government gives in to the pressures of big money? Another drastic feature in this fight for private interest is the notice of consultation and hearing in regards to a “Review of the Internet traffic management practices of Internet service providers” according to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). This hearing that will take place on July 6th 2009 will re-open the debate to net neutrality. Following this information, I know that I will write a letter to my local MP urging the government to take action in order to save net neutrality.

OneWebDay...A Need for Internet Democracy

On September 22nd, OneWebDay was set to inform internet users around the world about the internet and its need for democracy. This day was really not noticeable for me since unfortunately I use mainstream internet sites. When I looked at the values and goals of this day I was mainly impressed, however the majority of web sites did nothing to inform users of this day. The founder of Craigslist, Craig Newmark stated that “OneWebDay reminds us that the net really is a democratizing medium, that everyone gets a chance to participate. If you want, you can stick your neck out and speak truth to power.” The idea of web is really to put the internet back into the hands of the everyday users not the big corporations. This would be great if the big websites participated however, it would be contradictory of them to promote One Web Day since it puts the power back into the hands of the people. The internet has certainly changed my life, every day I rely on checking my email (as a mode of communication), following news (staying updated) and watching movies (entertainment). Without Internet, our world would be extremely simple and we would not be living through a rear-view mirror model. Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) incorporate all modes of information or communication into one. This includes cell phones, televisions and even internet. ICTs have made it easier to communicate with others as well as receive information. This can lead to an overload of communication and information in everyday life.

A Worthwhile Mission Needs Worthwhile Attention

The topic for this blog was outlined in the course syllabus as “We Are At War: What is your response”. To me that title says it all; originally this was a peacekeeping mission and now 98 troops have died fighting for peace. This mission has been extremely disorganized. During the start of this mission in 2002, Canadians felt proud fighting for peace and tearing down the Taliban’s hold on Afghanistan. We immediately saw change as women stopped wearing their burka’s and more schools were built. However, when many troops were moved to the southern region of Afghanistan the Taliban fought back. All of a sudden, we found ourselves at war.

Since then we have extended the mission to 2011 and I agree with this decision only if the war is given enough political attention. With the Harper Government in charge, I found that the Afghanistan mission did not focus on peacekeeping and rebuilding. I agree immensely with the Manley report which states that 1000 troops be added by our allies and their focus shifts from combat to diplomacy. The report also states that the military focus on training the Afghan army. I believe that following this report may lead to success in the near future. We must stop fighting and empower the Afghan army to take charge of the Taliban. I have great respect for the men and women fighting for peace in the name of Canada, therefore let us stop wasting their time and put the Manley report to test.

Enough With Repetitive Advertisements!

When you look at magazines, it is not difficult to spot advertisements for products that are shown off by skinny models-men or female. That is why I believe many of us are de-sensitised to this sort of advertisings. Instead of focusing on the usual negative traits from ads that are sexist and cliché, I would like to focus on a smart advertisement. This one is an ad by Converse showing the passionate lead singer of Metric reaching out to her fans. In the distance you can see that she is wearing shinny silver shoes, however they are not the main focal point. At the top right corner “frontman” is written and at the bottom “the new all star light on Emily Haines, Metric” is written in small font.

After looking at the picture for 15 minutes, I find it ironic that “frontman” is written when she is a front woman. This is making it clear that women should feel empowered by females like her and should not feel dominated by males. The picture itself is Emily Haines wearing a black top and shorts on her knees singing passionately into the microphone. Such photography is extremely powerful in outlining the funk and power that the “frontman” has. This advertisement focuses on the feeling gained from wearing the funky shoes and not by how beautiful the models portray the product. There is only one photo of the four different colours of shoes on the bottom right. This ad is one about passion, individuality and strength. I find it sad to say that this was the only smart advertisement I came across in this magazine.

The American Election...Where Do I Start?

I must confess that I am a huge political junkie; meaning I have spent many late hours watching CNN. As a Canadian, I wonder to myself why our current election is not as entertaining as theirs. The United States of America has surprised me in respects to the progressive change I have seen in this current election. Two women have played key roles in America’s political future and for the first time there is an African American candidate for President. We Canadians like to think of ourselves as progressive, but I think our progressive time has faded.

Furthermore, politically I support Senator Barack Obama and Joe Biden. However, I wanted Hillary Clinton to win the democratic nomination due to her experience and concrete plans. Senator Clinton has been compared to the Terminator and now her supporters may decide which candidate is President. The action of Hillary Clinton supporters to even consider voting Republican due to her poor relations with Obama is ludicrous. To all supporters of Hillary Clinton: Get over it!

Since I am discussing woman in this campaign I will bring up the name Sarah Palin. For starters, if Senator McCain is elected President she will be literally a heartbeat away from presidency. Was I the only one who got shivers from that sentence? I would like to finish on an ironic note, only weeks ago the McCain team were launching attack ads comparing Obama to a celebrity, now when I am checking out at the grocery store I am literally surrounded by Sarah Palin on the cover of gossip magazines. How I wish I could vote in this election.

A Day In The Life: My Experience

Yesterday, Tuesday October 1st 2008 I experienced a student’s worst fear. Not failing an exam or forgetting to hand in a 20% assignment; I experienced the death of my laptop. With an assignment due that was saved on the computer and a midterm the next day, this could not have been a worse day. I decided that this was an emergency-I had to leave the languages of the media lecture. I immediately called Dell and demanded that they fix the problem. Of course I was given the answer: "If you upgrade your warranty we could solve the problem quicker". I heard that I could get my files out at a local computer shop. So I slept on it, very late at night.

The next day, I was without a computer and felt out of touch in my class. I went to the computer shop and they extracted my files. I used my friend’s laptop to send my assignment in. The next 5 hours, I was without a laptop studying not by PowerPoint, but by handwritten notes. I went to my exam and noticed that I did not worry about my laptop while it was at the front of class. I actually felt free. I had no computer to write my blogs on and I wanted to write one, so here I am at 1:17 AM in the Library renting a laptop. The occurrence of this broken laptop has given me mixed feelings. It is very difficult to participate in the world of University with no laptop; however I feel more free and individual. This experience has provided me with a great understanding of my dependence and participation in the media economies.

The Ecology of Media

Television, some think of it as a medium of entertainment and others prefer to think of it as a mode of sharing information. The creation of television has allowed the once isolated places on earth to be unified by technology. The rural areas in the world have now been invaded by television meaning they are constantly being influenced by western cultures and views. I believe that this has resulted in a loss of cultural uniqueness. This technology is also responsible for child obesity. Children have been the target audience for television shows and they are feeling the consequences of being glued to this form of entertainment. I believe the determinist theory that culture is drastically affected by media.

Neil Postman states that “prior to the age of telegraphy, the information-action ratio was sufficiently close so that most people had a sense of being able to control some of the contingencies in their lives”; this just isn’t the case today. We are a culture that is numb to the effects of television. I will give an example, normally at home I watch about an hour and a half of television a day. When I came to Guelph, I had no television and within weeks I felt out control since I had no recollection of what was going on in the World. This should not have to be the case. I believe that this is why people enjoy isolating themselves from television on trips, for once they are not being bombarded by information.

Start a Blog... Really?

What can I say? I am not a great endorser of the blog. As the title of my blog page states, this is the first one I have written. The process of creating a blog and constantly updating it is one thing that puzzles me. This media form of individual journalism is a new reality of broadcasting personal views and opinions. In reality, little of these 'bloggers' receive public attention. However, a handful of people receive great public interest and to me that is what a blogger strives for. They crave the attention and comments from individuals all over the world. They are ecstatic when someone questions their point of view. I was surprised at just how easy it is to create a blog. It is obvious that I have chosen www.blogger.com as my method of creating my personal web page. This website allowed me to create a blog in three easy steps. I had to create an account with Google, name my blog and choose a template and then my URL was visible on the World Wide Web. As of now, I remain sceptical of the blog but with time my outlook on blogging may change. We shall see what happens after I am done writing my 12 blogs.