Kelsie Treloar

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      The most recent summer Olympics kicked off in August of 2016 in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, with an opening ceremony that spanned over a four and a half hour time period. The allotted time contained plenty of flashy dancing, music, and even commentary on climate change. The talk around the summer games at the time was highly centralized around the poor economic conditions in Brazil, and the increasing awareness of the Zika virus. Though after the opening ceremonies, the talk amongst those who viewed the opening ceremony through NBC’s casting quickly turned to disappointment. Viewers felt the number of ads NBC aired was excessive in comparison to airtime the Olympians received. Viewers took to multiple forms of social media to voice their criticisms of the network. Yet to many it would come as a surprise that the number of ads placed in the opening games segment was actually down in comparison to the 2012 London games. Customers have become more aware and more easily annoyed with advertiser supported media, as so many consumers are no more accustomed to viewing their content through binging services such as Netflix, which remains ad free. Yet were it not for advertiser supported media, the alternatives for viewing such events could mean something along the lines of a pay-per-view scenario. Advertisers face a more emergent problem to place ads to consumers so that they don’t feel over marketed to as well as picking the right content to market to them.  Economically this means that the odds of consumers taking positively to what one would perceive a regular ad is becoming on the less likely side. This means that advertisers are going to have to possibly spend money and getting more in tune with the new social norms to begin adapting the ads to consumers’ tastes in a more modern way.

Reference: Jaramillio, Cassandra(2016). Viewers Complain of Too Many Olympics Ads, But Volume Actually Fell. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/viewers-complain-about-too-many-olympics-ads-but-volume-actually-fell-1470687510.

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Globalization

Globalization has increased consumer choices in media in parts of the world where technology allows, it spreads ideas, and innovations to places that perhaps weren’t possible before. The global media industry faces, regulations which is defined as, “the creation of laws, guidelines, and rules of governing the operation of media industries and the enforcement of those laws, which often requires the creation of specific regulatory bodies,”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.259) and mandates, just as a small national media does. Media globalization is the, “capacity of worldwide communications infrastructures to send messages anywhere in the world almost instantaneously”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.221). Global media means that the risks and benefits of media can be shared across a wider span of people, and geography. Regulations from the viewers and the commercial mandates are just as limiting and important on the global scale. The spread of commercialism is one huge concern when it comes to globalized media despite all the advantages it offers. Many fear that with globalization cultural diversity will disappear, which is a valid concern. With how commercial media has affected the US alone one could think that the generalizing of what beauty is and perhaps bad morals that are openly displayed in movies, video games and television could become the norm worldwide. The mandate should come from the country or culture producing it and from there whether other cultures choose to adopt or simply learn about the difference in culture and move on is up to the individual at that point. 

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Fragmentation

Segment-making media is Joseph Turow’s term for, “media that cater to niche audiences or small slices of society. Segment-making media discourages one’s likelihood of encountering diverse viewpoints and generally allows for reinforcing of society beliefs”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.209).  Whereas society-making media is used to describe, “media that reach a broad cross-section of the general audience, creating the opportunity for these populations to talk to each other and gain access to a diversity of viewpoints”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.260).  When it comes to fragmentation, “the breakdown of the mass media audience into more targeted nice audience groups”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.252), it changes the strategy that media industries use to target these nice markets. With fragmentation, we experience more personally relevant information through the segment-making media, though we potentially lose out on information that could expand our horizons and broaden what we consume. In the future it is believed that there will be a greater sense of fragmentation, with the help of online distribution. Netflix, and the unexplored realms of video games in 3D and 4K high definition offer the possibility of further fragmented markets. With Netflix, the old idea of artificial scarcity partially disappears in the sense that you don’t have to wait week by week for show/series to be parceled out, yet with Netflix expanding more so into their own original movies and series, you must come to them to view the content and wait more so on a day to day basis to see what is new and coming. Netflix can be an area where select niche series can be reached for certain viewers, or someone can expand their horizons and view say a documentary that wouldn’t usually reach them if we were still in the age where one had to pay a solid chunk of change to rent just one film at a store. The online expansion can be seen as a negative fragmentation but also a positive one.

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Self-Hood and Media

In today’s society, people use social media as an extension of themselves to display their lives to others and to keep a record of it for them selves.  Danah Boyd describes her experience with social media as being “always-connected”, to where she is “perpetually connected through a series of devices and social media channels”(Boyd,2014, pg.71). As a society we use these channels to help define ourselves and shape our image of who we are as a person. Plato and his philosophy of absolute idealism, for him, “the ideas exist in a heavenly place, where the mind contemplates them as something external to itself”().  This external place would be social media, where one can think about who they are and who they want to be perceived as. So as Boyd mentioned, connecting to these devises and channels, allows one access to endless amounts of information, from there people will have to make choices on what types of media they consume and how this media affects their decision making and in turn, how it will ultimately shape them as a person. Each piece of media offers its own benefits that help us navigate through life and define who we are.

Reference Boyd, Danah.(2012). Participating in the Always-On Lifestyle. New York University Press: New York.

Storey, John. (2006). Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. Pearson Education Limited;London.

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Wes Anderson’s, The Grand Budapest Hotel, is a 2014 comedy film with a major cast lineup. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, the movie would go on to earn $174.8 million worldwide. As a distributor, Fox Searchlight, led by President Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utely, is a filmmaker-oriented company that focuses on distinctive films, and blends specialty films with trademark art. Fox Search Light is a sister company of the much bigger 21st Century Fox. As a distributor of media, Fox Searchlight actually has very little contact with consumers. Distributors, “Are basically middlemen; they buy from producers and sell to aggregators”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.173), whereas aggregation, “refers to a range of activities that bring together media content and consumers”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.175). Aggregators, cannot carry every piece of media possible so they selectively choose and guide what we as consumers see in turn.  The combination of distribution and aggregation together, “influence where and when we consume media how much we pay for it, and what kinds of content we are allowed to choose from in the first place”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg. 186).  American Empirical Pictures is the production company that owns the rights to the Grand Budapest Hotel.  It is their job to decide where this movie can be viewed, for how much, and for how long.  

References: Lotz, Amanda and Timothy Havens.(19 January 2016). Understanding Media Industries. London: Oxford University Press

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Shamelessly Censoring Our Premium Television 

   Shameless, which is set to air its 8th season on Showtime come November, parades a drunken father, train wreck of a mother, and six children who try to navigate through life with what they have. Shameless is a dark comedy with a satirical edge to it that keeps the viewers coming back. The show is a remake of a British series that carries the same moniker and found success with audiences in the UK. While the show’s wildish content and unique characters are popular amongst audiences in the US as well, the show remains rather un-talked about. The series hits on everything from alcoholism and drug addiction, to mental health, poverty, and teenage pregnancy. On regular broadcasting network this content would not be approved but with Showtime being a premium channel, the content can be as vulgar and expletive as the creators and stakeholders are willing to let it. In the era of mass customization which is described as, “a process that focuses on producing commodities that places a higher emphasis on tailoring goods to local market conditions...mass customization offers options for more individual taste to take shape”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.256), people are practically begging for content that lets them live outside the ideal cookie cutter family.    It is rather difficult to restrict creative content in the US, social norms do more governing when it comes to content than the actual government. “In a commercial system it is arguably the case that the system of commerce also provides stringent, and perhaps even dominant, form of content regulation-that informal self-regulation. Media producers are wary of including content that will not attract a profitable audience”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.81). In Showtime’s case, a non-commercial media outlet, they must create content, which draws in viewers and keeps them buying the channel month after month. Shameless is Showtime’s longest running series on the network, averaging more than 5.8 million views per week(Andreeva, 2016). The series has always touched on topics close to the viewers mind, and in some ways lets the audience live out a more wild life. In the coming season, the episodes are expected to have political undertones to cater to the recent political shift our country has faced. If we were still in the era of mass production this lucrative content wouldn’t have been available for viewing on Showtime or Netflix. It is thought that the media industry censors and holds back content, though Shameless is a good example of just what the audiences want and what content is deemed “ok” by society’s standards. References: Lotz, Amanda and Timothy Havens.(19 January 2016). Understanding Media Industries. London: Oxford University Press.

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Industry lore is supposedly based on common sense, though it is usually based more on perceptions than on actual evidence and research. Social and cultural ideas of race, religion, and life in general, shape and mold what eventually comes to the consumers in a final product. There is usually a common theme that is stuck to and used over and over, and when something challenges this and fails, its often hard to decide whether it failed because it went against the lore or for other numerous reasons. In recent news, professional football player Cam Newton is in some hot water over some choice words to a reporter. During the interview, Newton was asked about receiver routes from a female reporter, his response, “It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes like- it’s funny”. While his comment is extremely displaced, and rather distasteful, Newton to some extent is right, women in sports writing or sports in general is usual considered light hearted and not as serious as it is with men. Female reporters are often overlooked and when they are considered, their physical appearance plays a major role in their job. The reporter, Jordan Rodrigue, hit back saying, “I don’t think it’s funny, I think it’s my job”. Though the lore is that men dominate this industry, and men basically are the industry in whole. “Those with more agency pass information and often do what they know, from their gut, Those with more perceptions pass these perceptions on to those below them and those they mentor, and the industry lore remains in place”(Havens and Lotz,2016, pg.163). Somewhere along the line, Newton had this perception placed in his head from the media and those who work with him and above him, that’s why he found it “funny”. Though it is reporters like Rodrigue, which break the lore and show that they are just as capable of doing the job as any man. The impact of industry lore is significant, “consequences for enabling certain kinds of content and viewers while disabling others”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.163) exists. Cam Newton’s consequences, national ridicule and loss of sponsorship. The consequences for the media outlets who continue to foster environments where women are believed to be less superior to men in broadcasting has not prevailed yet, though it is a growing revolution that continues to be brought to light in good ways, and bad such as this incident with Newton. 

References: Lotz, Amanda and Timothy Havens.(19 January 2016). Understanding Media Industries. London: Oxford University Press.

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Shaping Media Culture

In some sense, one wouldn’t think that media industries hinder or stand in the way of technological progress. Though those who do stand in the way, do so in order to gain a profit. Changes within technology, can also lead to change within the economic condition. With new technology brings new opportunities that can either help or possibly harm a company, leading them to want to stifle the progress of certain technology. “ Despite their best efforts to promote only technologies that serve their interests, large corporations never know how technologies are going to be taken up or how they are going to alter the prevalent conditions and practices of their industry until those technologies have been unleashed”(Havens and Lots, 2016, pg.145). Change is never easy which is why media corporations can sometimes resist new technological advancements. An example from the book includes when FM radio, which was of superior quality, was created, the assumption was that big brand RCA would swoop in and love it. RCA did not, their radios only tuned in to AM radio. It would have been a huge overhaul for the company in order to accept the FM capacity. The company rejected to new change because it would have required thousands of consumers to buy new radios in order to tune in to the new radio, it was a major threat to company and how the consumers could view the company. This changed the way FM would come about and how the industry would evolve after that.

Reference Lotz, Amanda and Timothy Havens.(19 January 2016). Understanding Media Industries. London: Oxford University Press.

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     My midterm assignment kind of took a life of its own while writing it. It was a struggle to be creative and talk about myself in the position of the being a woman in comedy television so I feel as though my paper lacked in that sense. Still, I was able to learn a lot about other women in comedy and their lasting legacy while being able to talk about Lucille Ball. I Love Lucy was a staple classic in my house growing up, it seemed like it was always on in the background. Early on from watching the show I started noticing the obvious gender inequality within the show. It struck my interest for the funny lady Lucille Ball, and her role in comedy. Writing this midterm, I probably got a little carried away on the 1950’s portion, and struggled writing the 1970’s portion. Though writing that section of the paper furthered my knowledge of the history of women in television comedy. It was interesting to combine the idea of mass customization to women in comedy.  Large companies are still producing television sitcoms in order to reach mass numbers of viewers, but with the era of mass customization, the content of these programs are become more specified towards the viewers tastes of wanting strong female leads who speak their mind. This assignment was fun and different though I wish many I would have been a little more creative with the design or added something interesting to it.

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Lone Ranger: The Fail on the Economic and Social Level

In 2013, Disney was set to release many large budget movies, which were expected to be big hits. The list of 2013 releases for Disney included Oz the Great and Powerful, Iron Man 3, Monsters University, The Lone Ranger, and Frozen. These titles were much anticipated and many were expected to be huge successes with so many already having a huge fan base from the prequels as well as star packed casts.

Though Lone Ranger is the exception to this group. The movie pulled its inspiration from a television series from 1949, which meant its fan base was of a significant age already in 2013.  Considering it is a Disney movie, much of its content was rather adult, prostitutes, shooting, and blood. Making it hard to market to younger children. The movie is also a western, which in 2013 and even 2017, is a rarity. Most western movies prior to 2013 were flops. The movie production had already been halted once due to the budget being too large, when it was finally produced the budget came out to be 250 million with an extra 150 million marketing budget (Rothman, 2013). An astronomical amount compared to the 260 million that the film brought in(Rothman, 2013).

At a talk at USC in June 2013, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas spoke on the large possibility of the film industry “imploding”(Blodget,2013). The duo said, “Hollywood is betting ever more heavily on a handful of massive-budget-general interest blockbusters each year, while losing audience to the internet and TV”(Blodget,2013).  Following this discussion, Lone Ranger was then released in late June 2013, and followed Spielberg and Lucas’ predictions nearly to a t.

Continuing on the list of why Lone Ranger flopped revolves around the discussion of race. Fans were outraged when the actor Johnny Depp was cast as Tonto who was originally a race other than Depp’s. The theme of whitewashing characters continues today in 2017, as Scarlett Johansson was cast for Ghost in the Shell.  

Disney thought they were playing it safe by choosing big name actors and actresses and choosing a storyline which had success in the past, when really the actors, storyline and budget, did not fit properly with the audiences in 2013. In, The Economic History of International Film Industry, it is said that, “the main value of stars and stories lay not in their ability to predict successes, but in their services as giant ‘publicity machines’ which optimized advertising effectiveness by rapidly amassing high levels of brand-awareness”(Bakker, pg.12). Which with Lone Ranger is exactly what Disney tried doing by casting big names such as Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter.

Reference

Bakker, Gerben. (n.d.). The Economic History of the International Film Industry. University of Essex. Blodget, Henry (2013). Steven Spielberg: The Movie Industry is About to Implode. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/spielberg-movie-industry-will-implode-2013-6 Rothman, Lily (2013) Johnny Depp As Tonto: Is The Lone Ranger Racist? Retrieved from http://entertainment.time.com/2013/07/03/johnny-depp-as-tonto-is-the-lone-ranger-racist/

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The Slow Stifle of Creativity or Evolution of Creativity

After reading Lessig’s  “REMIX”, it really does appear that his arguments can hold true in today’s world to some sense.  Lessig speaks of how “the internet has produced both commercial and sharing economies”(Lessig, pg.167).  Something where one can exchange content or view content for money, or just for the sake of sharing. Social media sites such as YouTube and Twitter are sites where you can find both sharing and commercial, with their ads, or user generated content, it can be either or. Yet with sites like this, so often the question of copyright infringement, plagiarism and piracy comes into play. YouTubers, often find themselves skirting the lines when they add music to their videos, needing to be sure they don’t surpass the thirty-second limit. Lessig notes that, “the existing system of copyright simply could never work in the digital age. Either we will force our kids to stop creating, or they will force on us a revolution around copyright law”(Lessig, pg.167). Which I’m not sure is necessarily true in this case for Lessig. Just like previously stated, YouTubers stick to thirty second cuts of songs in order to on the right side of the law, though they mash songs together, slow them down, speed them up. They have found a way to still create and not break the rules. Lessig early in the chapeter himself said it perfectly; “Anyone can take images, sounds, video from the culture around us and remix them in ways that speak to a generation more powerfully than the raw text ever could”(Lessig, pg.160). So much of the content in today’s culture is mashed together leaving a lasting impression unlike the original.

Reference Lessig, Lawrence. (2009). Remix: How Creativity is Being Strangled by the Law. New York University Press: New York.

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Advertisers vs Non-advertiser Supported Media

To many people, when they think of media which is not supported by advertising, they often have the image of virtually free reign of content come to mind. More risqué language and visuals are usually thought to be the norm. Though while this can be true there is also more to it. Media such as Netflix, which is not supported by advertisers but rather subscriptions from consumers, still has to keep on track and provide something, anything, of value to the consumer to keep them coming back month after month. With Netflix, they are able to release much of their own produced content that viewers may or may not enjoy. These shows and movies could be big hits, or they could be flops, but either way, Netflix has more content which allows a buffer zone to keep a wide variety of consumers happy regardless. Whereas with advertiser supported media, the media outlet must produce something that fits in line with the advertisers’ image to some extent. When watching the Disney channel it is apparent that their content matches their advertising. Young children are drawn to certain programs which then feed them the products and services paid for by the advertisers. Media which is supported by advertising, “it is important to remember that the programming is just the bait the stations use to draw us together so that we hear the content of real importance (in an economic sense at least), which is the advertising message” (Havens and Lotz, 2016, pg.114). Without the economic gain from the advertisers, there would be no programming, which makes their message the center piece when it comes to advertiser supported media.

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Regulation

In our current media culture while there are more government regulations than previously in history, it is still a very relaxed system. So much of the content produced is protected under the First Amendment of Free Speech. Even with the current regulations that are in place much of the content fails to even ever reach those standards of obscene or indecent speech. The definition of obscene speech was decided by the Supreme Court in the 1973 case, Miller v California, defining it as works, “which, taken as a while, appeal to the puritan interest in sex, which portray sexual conduct in a patently offensive way, and which, taken as a whole, do have serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value”( Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg. 80). Indecent speech is prohibited on public airways, and was defined in a 1992 statement from the FCC as, “language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms of patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory activities or organs”( Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg. 80).  In many of the defining moments of what unacceptable content is, it is a think of the children type scenario, even while these cases were in court room settings. There is a safe harbor time from 10PM to 6AM when indecent content isn’t allowed to be broadcasted because of the possibility of children viewing the content. In many cases, during all hours of the day, media producers still have to broaden their view of what acceptable content is in order to compete. Whether it be, advertiser financed media or general media producers, they have to be wary of what they are producing in order to be considered  “acceptable” so that they can turn a dollar. Which leaves media generally regulated by the informal self-regulation. In a commercial system, “the system of commerce also provides a stringent, and perhaps even dominant form of regulation”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg. 80) If the content doesn’t fit our norms it will not be consumed enough to be considered irrelevant

Reference Lotz, Amanda and Timothy Havens.(19 January 2016). Understanding Media Industries. London: Oxford University Press.

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The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins was the first book in a trilogy that was released in 2008, with Catching Fire and Mockingjay following in 2009 and 2010. It wasn’t until 2012 that Catching Fire would hit theaters.  With a star studded line up in the films, and alluring love triangle, young adults loved the series. Though this series is far from just another teen movie, its imagery is dark, and the messages conveyed are grim. Poverty, child warfare, and oppressive governments are at the center of this story and aren’t so subtly hidden.

Lionsgate, a large American entertainment company produced the series of movies. While they knew the series wasn’t necessarily the most teen friendly content, they used the idea of “known products” and “known talent” to their advantage.  Hunger Games has graphic content in which children are hurt, killed, and starving, the studio used those techniques to soften the blow of the storyline while still conveying the important message. The “known talent” includes Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, and Elizabeth Banks. Josh Hutcherson is well known for starring in many age appropriate films while still being an eye catching young man, perfect for the role of Peeta Mellark. Harrelson and Banks are also well known for their comedic characteristics, and perfectly fit into their parts of Effie Trinket and Haymitch Abernathy as vital roles, but also comedic relief. The idea of “known products” was used to the studios advantage in that the book series already had a huge fan following. The studio knew to some extent that the film would have a following and the opportunity for sequels and of course more money then if the first movie became a hit. Lionsgate responded to the possible risk of the dark content by cushioning the series with known talent and using a series that was already well known, and had an established fan base.

Reference Lotz, Amanda and Timothy Havens.(19 January 2016). Understanding Media Industries. London: Oxford University Press.

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A Second Look at McCluhan

Twitter is a medium very unlike any medium that was around during Marshall McCluhan’s creation of The Medium is the Message. This medium would never have been able to sustain itself in the past, for societal norms would not have allowed it to be considered even slightly acceptable. Twitter’s content is very abrupt and in your face in comparison to the films and television created 1964. Yet McCluhan’s message can still be held true against twitter. McCluhan used railway as an example saying it, “accelerated and enlarged the scale of previous human functions, creating totally new kinds of cities and new kinds of work and leisure”(McCluhan,1964,pg1). Twitter most definitely has changed the way work and leisure can be seen. People can make careers out of posting on platforms such as Twitter, one doesn’t even have to leave the comfort of their comfy pajamas and home to create an income for themselves. Twitter has also drastically shaped what basic modern human functions appear and look like, such as simple socialization. Rather than being in person, everything is instant messages and subliminal mass tweets that nearly anyone can see.

McCluhan’s writing came out during the taking off stages of mass customization when society was moving away from mass production. In Understanding Media Industries, it is said that, “The era of mass entertainment, when ‘everyone’ in the country flocked to the same movies or switched on the same programs, leaving the impression that the nation as a whole possessed similar tastes, experiences, and aspirations, even if this impression was predicted on the exclusion of many, particularly women and citizens of color”(Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.19). Twitter’s easy accessibility in a time of mass customization, gives a voice to those who wouldn’t have had one during a time of mass production. Every human interaction, while it may be different than in the past, is on a much grander scale with different groups of people finally being able to have some say and control now.

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Mass Customization

On a daily basis it is hard to say how much media I consume. Some days it can be an absurd amount and others it is none. I find my phone to be the easiest way to consume the media that I do because it is usually with me at all times, otherwise my computer is the next go to. In Understanding Media Industries, it is said that, “while we may not need media in the sense that we need food, many people nevertheless see media as central to their lives” (Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.2). Which I do, I find it as a way to escape the current reality for a moment and find another one that may be slightly similar to my own or so different my imagination can kind of run wild. Which is why YouTube is where I consume most of my media. YouTube fits the idea of Mass customization in that it reaches large amounts of people, but within that platform, there are special niches that can fit nearly any person.

Hollywood was the central hub at one point of television and film industries, most productions out of Hollywood were standardized and aimed at the commonalities of the culture during the 1950’s-1970’s (Lotz and Havens, 2016, pg.19). Which doesn’t all too much vary from today where the media still looks to reach large audiences in a minimal amount of time. Today, YouTube helps bridge the gap of reaching large numbers of people, but also finding specific content that suits the consumer. There is still a want to maximize the revenues made off of media, in this sense mass customization is a smarter way of doing so compared to mass production, in that more people are able to find what pleases them and at ever faster speeds.

 Reference

Lotz, Amanda and Timothy Havens.(19 January 2016). Understanding Media Industries. London: Oxford University Press.

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“The Medium is the Message”

     In Marshall McCluhan’s, The Medium is the Message, McCluhan speaks of the demand for large amounts of information we consume through various mediums. McCluhan takes notice to the fact that most of the time when human culture is changing, there isn’t really a conscious adjustment to the changing ways for most people. We “extend” ourselves over these various mediums and bring about awareness and experiences that we may perceive to our liking to allow us to make connections. McCluhan says, “the content of any medium is always another medium”.  Say the medium of the news is viewed through the medium of the television.  So I do agree with many of  McCluhan’s claims, each of which I can make connections to in my own life.

     As an example McCluhan speaks of the railway and says, “it accelerated and enlarged the scale of previous human functions, creating totally new kinds of cities and new kinds of work and leisure”. To touch on a previous point this is human culture changing, and many people in the moment may not even notice it. The building of a new rail line may seem as simple as that, yet the many messages it can relay from there are endless. The various people that can be met, conversations, advertisements, magazines, and many more mediums can be accessed. We extend ourselves through these various mediums and never really reflect on these experiences in a conscious way.