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GEPHI EXTRA CREDIT:

After completing this assignment, it was truly interesting to see the break down of my Facebook community.

The right side of the graph is mainly people I know from Houston, TX (where I grew up). The bottom most part, the largest congregation is my high school network, while the connecting small outfits are a collection of junior high acquaintances and then the Gephi program even divided groups of people I worked with at various jobs throughout High School.

Slightly above my 'main' network, interconnected on the upper right is all the extended family I am connected with on Facebook.

The left side of the graph shows my Lawrence/KU network. What I found interested about this, is while my hometown/high school network is intermingled gender wise, there are clean distinctions between male and females in my college network, especially the upper tier which depicts an organization I am involved in and the people I know through that, while the people towards the bottom are more of the general acquaintances I have met throughout my college experience.

Then there are a view unconnected outliers in the graph.

Another interested point I found is the circle works geographically in a way, as my largest network is centralized in Houston and then the graph represents counter-clockwise as my family network is located in Oklahoma, then moving to Lawrence.

It is also an interesting community study to see how in a more close-knit enviroment like high school and the suburb of Houston I come from, how everyone is mutual friends and connected through many friendships, while Lawrence, even though it is a much smaller town, there are not as many mutal connections.

#fms302 #gephi

We Live In Public blog

One thing that really struck me was when Harris talked about lions and tigers being the kings of the animal kingdom and how they ended up in zoos, and that's where we were going to end up too. I do not disagree with the statement but I feel as if Harris himself is aiding in to make that happen. With turning the project on himself, especially just because he thought that this was the way life was becoming inevitably, Harris in a sense created the zoo himself.

Another interesting point was when he was addressing his art exhibit and discussing that everything was free for the participants, except the video shot of them, which they took ownership of. It brings up a good question of at what cost does a person essentially give up their freedom and identity? I think our society has fallen into this trap, of in a sense living such public lives, even though a majority of us are not being paid too much attention to. Everyone wants their fifteen minutes of fame, but I think the fame most people desire is drastically different from what they receive.

Before watching this movie I had a very free interpretation on privacy, basically I had no concern as to what anyone saw, even illegally, as long as I wasn't persecuted. But the film changed my perspective. I still have a notion that if we as a society were not so private that there could be a possibility of greater social freedom, but to recklessly abandon your privacy and identity is foolish, because in a sense it is all you have.

#fms302

We Are Legion Blog

After watching We Are Legion, it definitely shined new light on perspectives of New Media and relating to society. The movie highlights the Hacktivist movement and the group Anonymous, which is a collective of hackers that cooperatively work to promote their views of truth and opinion, especially pertaining to the Internet.

The first moment of the film that struck me was during the middle of the film, when the movie was directed towards the evolution of Anonymous through 4Chan. I found it interesting with the 'God Complex' I thought was prevalent throughout the members who were interviewed. With the origins of 4Chan hackers and hackers in general, being rooted in humor, the hackers discuss about how they were attacking those who took issues too seriously and how the victims needed to reevaluate their ideals. I find this ironic in a sense for a group who is fighting for free speech for all - why do the people of Anonymous get to choose what is appropriately offensive and what is not?

In contrast with the previously statement, the other point I found interesting was the final dialogue in the movie by the young female hacker. She stated that she did not care of what belief system a person rooted from, if their opinions differed from hers, or what they wanted with life, but that they had a right to their opinion, that everyone does. Although the roots of the Hacktivist community were biased in a sense, through the progression of the film and time, they have evolved to really become what they set out to be - a totem for free speech and expression for everyone and to oppress censorship.

#fms302

Girls Textual Analysis

Girls broke pavement the minute it hit the street. Advertised as the next generation’s Sex In The City, quality television meets genre mixing with this dramedy. Similar to Sex In The City in which the show features four girlfriends, coming into their own in the big city of New York, all with different personalities and aspirations.

‘Hannah’s Diary’ focuses on how contradictory today’s generation can be. Hannah, a poster girl for feminism, starts a job where she is sexually harassed by her employer, yet allows it to continue when pressured by her coworkers facing the same fate. Hannah is a contradictory person in herself, as she thinks she is a bold, young writer adventuring in the city penning off the wall stories that others dream off; when in reality, she is just getting by like every other common person in the city with her head in the clouds and feet in the mud.

Marnie complains about her stagnant relationship yet in the end of the episode when her true feelings are revealed, the outcome is anything but pleasant. Marnie, with her Type A personality, seems to be the most put together of all the girls and even her biggest problem isn’t that much of a problem, just that her boyfriend loves her too much. But it’s her organization and put-togetherness that conflicts with Adam. Marnie longs for someone to whisk her off of her feet and take her on the adventure she has always dreamed of.

Then there is Shoshana, a naïve collegiate girl, longing to lose her virginity to become more vivacious like her friends, but won’t take the bull by the horns to do so. When she encounters a boy she knew from childhood camp she becomes a dear in the headlights. After being left alone with him, Shoshana and Matt hit it off. As there date progresses and gets physical, she confesses she is a virgin, causing Matt to come to a hault.

Lastly, there is Jessa, a rich free-spirit against the system that is backing her luxurious life. In the beginning of the episode, Jessa rants about how she does not like the structure of a job or any requirement for that matter. She is a nanny to two affluent city girls and when she takes them to play in the park she begins to bond with the other nannies that are there. Only having the job to appease her boredom, the low pay the other nannies receives outrages Jessa, enticing them to revolt and start a union. Jessa believes that she lives such a free life, combating that of corporation and regulation, when her father is most likely corporately funding her groovy lifestyle.

Reflecting on the episode, in comparisons to the other shows, I found it surprising that something known as “quality television” was so vapid, but then again that is the point, to expose the vapidness of the generation that believes they are so cultured.

Top Chef Textual Analysis

Reality Television is a whole other beast, competition reality even more so. Top Chef proposes a competition in which chefs from around America compete in weekly cooking competitions for sponsorship, monetary prizes and the coveted ‘Top Chef’ title. The show is not necessarily marketed only to people of the food culture, but also to those who want to be in the food culture.

Even coming in at Season 10, Episode 12 “Wolfgang Clucks,” the beginning of the show still sets up a precedent. Each show operates under the same mechanism – a quick-fire challenge that gives its winner a prize or advantage in the main competition round, where someone is sent home from every week. To keep viewers invested, people with many different character traits are cast and put together to add conflict. The show also works on the basis that the viewer would pick a competitor that they personally identify with and they will watch in hopes of their victory.

The show begins with a inkling of what happened in the previous episode, this one dramatic in particular because a seemingly show favorite was eliminated from the competition instead of one of the weaker competitors. Before any sort of competition or cooking related event takes place, the remaining competitors are documented interacting and getting ready for their day, adding to the viewer relation aspect.

The quick-fire challenge displays another aspect of the show, advertisement. Before every challenge Padma, the host, announces the stakes that are being competed for, which includes goods from a sponsor. The quick-fire can result in addition sponsored prizes, such as this episode that featured a year’s supply of a fine wine. A voice over featuring one of the competitors also mentions that the group drove around in Toyota Highlanders.

During the main competition, a table of judges, who are celebrities of the food culture, sit around and discuss the food, their lives and their professions. They are idolized in a way that makes the viewer aspire to be these people, as they are so cultured, groomed and happy. After the competition, the competitors are shown interacting some more, feeding into the viewer relationship, building tension to see who will be sent home. The competitors are then placed in front of the judges, where tension builds as they discuss the rights and wrongs of the dishes in the competition and decide who is eliminated.

Once analyzing the show, it is more noticeable how much of an orchestrated ordeal it really is, far from reality. The competitor, who was shown to be the weakest link that slid by, was conveniently eliminated in this episode. After reviewing the episode, the viewer realizes they really didn’t learn anything about cooking or the culture, as the knowledge was already assumed, yet they are pulled in for another week, to see who wins the title of “Top Chef.”

Roseanne Textual Analysis

In the mix of all the family sitcoms throughout the history of Television, Roseanne is a show that is definitely different from all the rest. Amongst the classic 1950’s proper suburban housewife, serving her children and taking orders from her breadwinning husband, Roseanne herself strays. She is still a stay-at-home mother taking care of her children, but the show operates under a matriarchal system, in a way. Matriarchal in the fact that Roseanne calls the shots, but the way she operates blurs the gender lines set up by the family sitcoms that came before. If analyzing the show with common gender roles, Roseanne “wears the pants.”

The episode starts out with Roseanne finding marijuana in the room her daughter’s boyfriend is staying in. This and the general demeanor given off by Roseanne leaves the viewer wondering what will happen in the situation, obviously being in a more progressive home than the average family. Her sister Becky represents the traditional household, as she ogles and distresses over the marijuana, telling Roseanne how bad it is, reciting lines everyone hears in their sixth grade D.A.R.E. education. While fans of the classic family could find Roseanne unappealing and offensive, she has a lot that can be learned from. When her husband Dan comes home upset, she does not even bring up the situation, which leads into a discussion about Dan’s problems at work and how he feels, contrasting Roseanne’s assumed masculinity.

After Dan has confrontational issues when he sees a co-worker, who is slacking, at the local bar, the show reverses the roles when Roseanne addresses finding David’s marijuana. She is stern and firm, the qualities Dan was aspiring to have in the similar situation, again conflicting with the classic “father knows best” mentality.

The mood shifts upon discovering that is was in fact Roseanne’s own marijuana that she stumbled upon, hidden years ago by Dan when Roseanne was pregnant. Another progressive aspect of Roseanne was that she was able to admit her wrong and felt bad for punishing David. Roseanne and Dan proceed to become nostalgic as they reflect on old times and the fear of approaching age. The couple then decides to smoke the marijuana they found because none of the kids were going to be home. Amongst inebriated conversation, Roseanne continues to be the champion of situations – claiming the last pudding pop, advising Dan on his issues. To combat the notion that a traditional viewer might have of their parenting, their son DJ abruptly comes home, confronting his parents. It is here that you see how much Roseanne values her role as a mother, shrouded behind crude humor and a veil of apathy.

The show’s approach to the modern family and Roseanne’s position in her household leads to a groundbreaking series that is able to tackle issues in way no other show could. While some could say it is crude and non-traditional, Roseanne’s method of motherhood is something to be examined.

South Park Textual Analysis

South Park is infamous for taking present day issues and pop culture happenings and parodying them as a form of social commentary and entertainment. In the episode ‘The Snuke’ genre hybridity is featured as the episode is laid out similarly to an episode of 24.

The first issue that is addressed in racial stereotyping, especially pertaining to terrorism, as the episode begins with a new kid, Bahir, coming into the children of South Park’s classroom. Cartman, in his politically offensive stereotype, automatically assumes Bahir is a terrorist because of his nationality and religion. With a transgender woman teaching the class, and the rest of the students appear distraught as Cartman reacts negatively to Bahir’s presence, it can be seen that the crowd is majorly tolerant, though the audience follows the intolerant, offensive Cartman throughout the whole episode, as though it is the norm.

Cartman immediately takes it upon himself to diffuse the situation, which quickly escalates into a national emergency. This leads to the next cultural issue that is addressed which is the self-induced accessibility of the generation through the Internet and social media. Cartman contacts his friend Kyle, who is able to find out about a terrorist attack through Bahir’s MySpace page. Throughout the episode, as American government involvement increases, it is highlighted that the officials investigating the case are finding information via Craigslist, E-Harmony, and tracking the threat with MapQuest and Google Maps.

The terrorist threat is on Hilary Clinton, as she has come to South Park campaigning for presidency. Clinton is parodied by coming off with a southern accent and plat forming the small towns. As the episode progresses, we find out the ‘Snuke’ is located inside her genital area, which throughout the episode is treated in a very taboo way, much like Clinton’s gender and sexual identity are in the media. It boils down to Clinton’s Chief of Staff having to attempt to retrieve the device, and getting consumed by an unidentified monstrous being inside of Clinton.

All of this ends up being a diversion planned by the English government to “end the American revolution.” The over technologized America is contrasted with the British soldiers appearing as though they are from the 18th century, approaching America on wooden ships with bayonets. The plan is quickly thwarted after this and the American technology overpowers British antiquity.

Though South Park has the stereotype of being a lowbrow comedy, after this analysis, it is evident that the show is full of many relevant social commentaries. The show ends with Bahir’s family leaving America because of Cartman’s intolerance and that intolerance being highlighted as ‘saving the day,’ parodying American bigotry.

Final Strategy Analysis

After analyzing The CW for the first half of the semester I think the network is in for an interesting future.

One of the first articles I responded to addressed the network’s strides in social media. I have continued to see links between The CW and many digital platforms throughout these eight weeks and I think their experimentation with different mediums will definitely increase traffic to the network as a whole and potentially sky rocket audience attention and interaction with current and upcoming shows. After breaking records reaching a huge audience digitally with The Vampire Diaries, implementing a gaming application to coincide with their musical chairs competition show Oh Sit!, and reaching out to viewers at South By Southwest in many different digital aspects, both social and possible opportunities for digital series, the digital frontier is vastly being claimed by the network.

The CW also has a lot of new projects in the works, which could increase their attention. While ridding of some of the shows that have lost audience interest and promising the return of fan favorites, the CW is off to a clean start. Taking into consideration what is already popular with their demographics (Supernatural-based pilots such as Tomorrow People and The Selection) and what is lacking in all of TV programming overall (a return of Whose Line Is It Anyway, which brings the network into the comedic ballpark) the CW is aiming to please and on their way to it.

While The CW is an underdog in the network statistics, it almost works to their advantage, as they are able to mold themselves with a changing audiences’ opinion. I foresee big success coming from this network, as well as innovations that could change how the industry reaches and interacts with their audiences.

Strategy Blog Week 8

Punter, Jennie. "SXSW: WB Hosts Interactive Playground." Variety. Variety, 9 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.

The article mainly addresses Warner Brother's involvement at South By Southwest, a popular entertainment festival held annually in Austin, TX. Highlighting the CW's involvement with the interactive festival, the will be demonstrating how the network is making use of digital platforms to extend the reach of their popular shows Arrow and The Vampire Diaries. The CW will also have a digital studio where people can pitch ideas for digital series, which the network will consider.

As my last analysis of The CW, I think this is a great direction they are taking, interacting with their audience and going digital. Highlighted throughout my blogs were The CW's praised use of digital platforms, breaking social media records and reaching wide audiences. The CW is really trying to reform what they are as a network and letting their audience really mold it into what they want it to be. I can definitely see The CW making their name known with fresh perspectives on where the industry is heading in the future.

Strategy Blog Week 7

Masters, Megan. "Pilot News: Buffy's Watcher Anthony Head to Rule Over The CW's SelectionÂ Drama." TVLine. TVLine Media, 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.

The article announces Anthony Head's involvement with a new CW pilot called The Selection. Summarizing the plot of the new show, a sort of The Hunger Games themed show, depicting a young girl 300 years in the future chosen by lottery to compete in games to win the prince's hand in marriage. Anthony's role was not addressed.

It will be interesting to see what The CW amounts to in the future, turning a new dawn with a lot of new projects coming out and with the ending of some long term shows (90210 after 5 seasons). Again along the supernatural genre, which seems to be working for The CW. A possible indicator of success could be Head's involvement with the show, comparing his role in the CW's previous identity, The WB's hit show Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Strategy Blog Week 6

Ng, Philiana. "'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' Being Revived by The CW." The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2013.

The article addresses The CW bringing back the gameshow Whose Line Is It Anyway? The show will air this summer, ten half-hour episodes are scheduled, a release date is yet to be determined. The show's host will be Aisha Tyler, who will work with the studio audience to prompt the improvisers and celebrity guests in their antics. The original cast of Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, and Colin Mochrie will return.

I foresee this as a huge boost for The CW as a network. To be hosting the return of such a pinnacle in American television, especially when there is not a comedic show like this around to provide competition. This show covers almost every demographic and with other ventures The CW has employed, such as social media and mobile connection, I definitely think this will be a game changer, not only for the network, but television as a whole.

Strategy Blog Week 5

Goldberg, Lesley. "'Revenge's' Robbie Amell to Star in CW's 'Tomorrow People'" The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.

This article talks about Robbie Amell assuming the lead role in The CW's upcoming drama pilot Tomorrow People. The article summarizes the basis of the show, Amell's character is a disturbed young man, under the assumption that he is crazy, when in reality he is part of a group of people with altered genetics, giving them special abilities.

After examining one of The CW's front runners, The Vampire Diaries, and seeing the success that it has brought the network, comparing it with up comer Tomorrow People makes me hopeful for the show and the network. Looking at last week's strategy blog on the shows that The CW renewed prematurely for next season, all linked in the supernatural sub genre, I feel as though Tomorrow People will be a great fit in The CW family. In the summary of the show's story, I was reminded of the popular show Heroes and I feel like a show of that strain is missing from television's line up currently and Tomorrow People could possibly fill that void and be a hit.

Strategy Blog Week 4

Levine, Stuart. "Top News." Variety. Variety, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

The CW has announced three of their shows that will be renewed for upcoming seasons.

The first show on the dock for next season is Arrow, which premiered this last fall with the CW's most watched series premiere since 2009, and continuing to be the network's biggest draw with 4.3 million viewers tuning in each week.

The CW's golden child, The Vampire Diaries, was also approved for another season, its fifth on the CW. The Vampire Diaries is the CW's top show in the 18-34 demographic for adults and women, which is the CW's target audience.

The last, but certainly not least show that was picked up for another season is Supernatural, which will come up on its ninth season, starting back when The CW had previously been The WB. Following Arrow on Wednesday nights, Supernatural has been able to have an incline in their ratings - with a 10% increase in 18 - 34 adults, 18% in 18 - 49 and an overall 15% increase in total viewers.

Shows that have not been approved for continuing seasons thus far feature 90210, Hart of Dixie, Beauty and the Beast, and Nikita.

Showing the three picked up shows so prematurely for upcoming seasons can foretell the future of the CW, all three of these shows having strong supernatural themes and young adult followings. It can be seen from the shows that have not been picked up yet, that the CW is not as successful in more solely romantic, dramatic shows. I found it shocking that Arrow had a more popular following than the long lived Supernatural, but a smart move by the CW to position Arrow before Supernatural to save a long term investment from the network and also gather a large following for a freshmen show by tapping into a rooted television community. As for The Vampire Diaries, in relation to my first strategy blog, I foresee no problems with the program with a continuously fresh storyline, even after five seasons and such a dedicated viewer following.

Strategy Blog Week 3

Ng, Philiana. "CW Announces 'Oh Sit!' Return, 'Carrie Diaries' Finale." The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

This article announced The CW's plan to follow up the season finale of The Carrie Diaries, which was stated to end April 8. The next week, April 13, the slot will be taken over by a reality game show Oh Sit!, a reality competition based upon the game Musical Chairs. The show coming into its second season will be enhanced with extra obstacles and competitive boosts, also complemented by the launch of an game app. The show was renewed after it was able to keep up with the 18-49 demographic competing with popular shows such as The Voice and The X Factor.

What struck me about this article was that I have never heard mention of the show Oh Sit! before, possibly due to the fact that it is in direct competition with huge front runners The Voice and The X Factor, which was hard enough to choose between those two. I found it interesting that it was renewed on the claim that the show did keep the crucial 18-49 demographic amongst this grand competition. After analyzing The CW for a couple weeks now and looking at this show, it confuses me that this is the key demographic for this show and that the network is fighting for in general. The one chance The CW has against the other networks, in my opinion, is its appeal to youth and youthfulness. With their strides in social networking that I stated from the week previous and with mention of their push for the gaming application, I think The CW's success could come from taping into that younger demographic, and leaving the competition with similar shows to other networks.

Strategy Blog Week 2 (Week 1 Revision)

Marechal, AJ. “‘Vampire Diaries’ Topped Social Media in TV — Why We Shouldn’t Overlook These Press Releases.” Variety.com. Variety, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.

The article is an overlook at one of CW’s most successful shows, The Vampire Diaries, and how the following of the show and its popularity has risen to the peaks of social media chatter. The way I see it, this is a huge accomplishment for the show and the network, CW not being exactly on the top of the network food chain.

This is not only a big step for CW and their image, but a huge advancement for the industry as a whole, a new wave of promotion. In CW’s perspective, this is a great tool to achieve their market young adult audience. Topping even American Idol, the social aspects involved many members of the cast live tweeting during the airing of the episode to prompt more social media interaction between viewers.

The article expands on how social media can enrich the rating process, especially by portraying 'passion'. Not only ratings but the fact that the show is being so widely spread throughout social media and the internet alike, it is providing a whole new frontier for publicity and advertisements.

I think passion is something that is something that is highlightable to pull from the article, because with social media interaction, you are not just drawing who is viewing the show, you are able to see how the viewers feel, what they like and dislike about the program and the franchise, and it is all accessible and free. The article ends with a comment about how to address digital viewing along with social media, which I found important personally because a majority of my television watching does happen via the internet, as well as many of my generation, which I feel needs to be addressed in the ratings and views of a show.

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