Audience Studies (3P18) Blog Post #2 Mitchell Vernon
Week Six
During week six we looked at uses and gratifications, this material allowed our class to take a deep dive into the minds of the consumers and provided context regarding the quantification of media consumption. The major question asked this week was “how and why individuals use the media” (Sullivan, 108). This main question forced some self-reflection as I decided to look within myself to further understand the motivation behind my own media consumption. I found the example at the beginning of the textbook chapter incredibly useful in looking into my personal habits. I too have participated in fantasy sports and have found myself more dedicated to my fantasy team then my local team.
This is a very new form of gratification as only technological advancements have made way for this new form of consumption. This thought drew to mind many more uses and gratifications that I would not have initially thought of from a traditional point of view. In general, this week was very informative in regards to the multitude of possible uses and gratifications. There is a long history of academics looking into uses and gratifications so this week we took a deep dive into the early studies and tries to uncover the evolution of the topic. It is not only sports audiences that are affected by this phenomenon the world of theatre and cinema are often driven by personal responses to the content they are being subjected to.
I would like to dive deeply into my own personal experiences regarding uses and gratifications. I believe it is incredibly important to apply this theory to real-world situations to better understand all of the different consumption methods and gratifications that are available. The textbook states that: “the audience members actively choose media channels and content to suit their own needs at a particular moment” (Sullivan, 113). This explanation is valid in describing my own relationship with media as often times I will only consume particular types of media depending on my mood and what I’m doing. For example, if I am at work or doing something me to be active and involved I will often listen to podcasts and radio this way I am free to move about and concentrate on other things.
On the other hand, if I am completely free I will often find myself watching television or movies, in this situation I can fully concentrate on this content without being restricted by outside influences. This thought has forced me to analyze the amount of content that is created in our world today and how much of it is made for very specific consumption methods. As far as gratifications are concerned it is obvious that each form of media provides a differing gratification. For example, radio is used as a form of information gathering and mind occupation while movies and other forms of visual content require more attention and are often used to distract the consumer and draw them into whatever content is being expressed. In our seminar, we discussed the individual differences between each person and how this affects our consumption and gratification, we spoke about the idea of music being used as a study tool for some and for others (like myself) a complete distraction. This proves that individuals can consume the same content for completely different reasons and the gratifications that one receives can be completely independent of that of another. In my personal experience, I find that the consumption of media is increasingly dependant between individuals especially these days as there is simply so much content in the world that everyone can find their niche. I live in a house with 4 other guys and on the surface level we are very much the same, we all have a similar sense of humor and get along well. That being said we all consume very different forms of media and even the things that we watch together we get completely different gratifications from them. The best representation of this is sports, we are all massive Toronto Maple Leafs fans and sports fans in general but a couple of my roommates are avid gamblers, in this case, the gamblers are receiving a completely different experience than the common sports fan as they are not simply watching for the love of the game.
I would now like to look into the history of uses and gratifications theory as presented in the lecture and the textbook to draw comparisons between then and now. The article in the textbook regarding female radio listeners in the 1940s was incredibly informative in the changes that the media landscape has undergone. A few sentiments have held true though, for example, the woman would use the radio to acquire information, this form of information gathering has not changed as today millions of people receive their daily news on their way to work through their radio. The woman also used the radio to distract them from their own lives and give them a form of entertainment. As mentioned earlier I often find myself using audio content in the same way as I tend to isolate myself from the world around me by simply tossing in my headphones and forgetting the world. In general, the ways that we consume media has completely changed over the years as technological advancements such as the internet and television have allowed us to expand upon the previously narrow world of entertainment. That being said the world of sports consumption has remained quite similar to earlier years and I find myself consuming sports in much the same way that my ancestors did.
In general, the study of uses and gratifications has been massive in expanding my knowledge of the world of media. I now know that there is something for everyone and everyone is free to experience the media however they choose. With the development of the internet, the possibilities only expand and we will see new media develop at a much faster rate than ever before.
Week Seven
The idea of decoding mass media texts has been something that I have been personally interested in over recent years as I start to understand underlying messages within the media. This week’s lesson asked questions about what we had learned in the week before “were media audiences truly as autonomous as the uses and gratifications perspective imagined?” (Sullivan, 135). Academics wonder whether the media plays a major factor in creating ideology within our society. This question has become ever more prevalent today with all of the division in the world within the opinion based society that we live in. It is clear to uncover bias within the media depending on what you are consuming. Many media companies have certain agendas that they follow to intentionally shift public opinion about key issues. A topical example of this would be the American news landscape and the battle between CNN and Fox News.
It is clear to anyone who watches either of these channels that the news is being reported from an incredibly biased standpoint in an attempt to convince the viewer that the network’s beliefs are the correct ones. In my opinion, this is both dangerous and important in shaping the public dialogue within our society. I consider it dangerous because it tends to divide even more creating an evil narrative for the opposition and it seems as though this has created a “you’re either with us or against us” mentality from both sides. On the other hand, I do believe that it is important that both arguments are heard for people to develop their own rational opinions, this format allows for debate. The world of social media also plays an important role in this theory as Twitter can be one of the most polarizing places in the world. Social media allows any individual the opportunity to voice their opinion no matter how offensive it may be to some.
I would Like to begin right there in the world of social media. I have been forced to re-write this section of the blog this week because of recent events on social media that I believe cannot go unmentioned. This past week’s legendary hockey personality Don Cherry was removed from his infamous role as the host of “Coach’s Corner” on Hockey Night in Canada. Cherry had made controversial comments before but this time he crossed the line, the analyst went on a rant (as he often does) about the Canadian remembrance day tradition that is the poppy.
Cherry used the phrase “you people” during this rant while discussing the lack of poppies he has seen on the streets of Toronto. This comment was considered by many as a direct attack on immigrants and Cherry was removed from his position two days later. In previous times this is where the story would stop but not today. Because of the impact of the media and this particular program, a war began on Twitter regarding Cherry’s comments as everyone and their mother had an opinion and a stance. This led to another television personality named Jess Allen to talk about the situation in her program called “The Social”. In her response, she offended many people within the hockey community calling them “bullies”, “white boys” and even generalizing the community as out of touch and privileges based on the price of playing the sport. As you may expect this ignited another Twitter was leaving many people within the hockey community (which I consider myself a part of) up in arms for the hypocrisy of her comments. This is a very new media situation that proves the impact that mass media has on the people that are subjected to it. This situation forced me to look in the mirror as a Canadian and take a moment to realize how much I had been consumed with this debate. In this case, the messages within mass media brought the country to a halt, and in all honesty, made us all reflect on the way that we generalize every day and how the media helps us to form their generalizations.
Now I’d like to take a look at traditional media and how interpreting and decoding mass media can be applied to specific forms of media today. After a fairly negative example of the social media issue, I’d like to be more positive in this section of my weekly blog. I think an excellent case study for this would be the recent Marvel film “Captain Marvel”. I have seen this movie multiple times now and it seems as though each time I watch it I uncover more hidden messages within the dialogue. The film itself is an incredibly powerful feminist message, the main character is a woman, a superhero and the most powerful person in the galaxy. Some of the messages within the film were incredibly obvious and simple to decode, others were not so simple. My personal favorite message was simply the raw power and independence that the character had throughout the film. Captain Marvel was fearlessly driven and I believe that this was a welcome theme within the typically male-dominated superhero genre.
Another piece of media with a prevalent message would be the recently released “Joker” film which was an incredibly dark take on the world of mental illness. Throughout the film, the character battles manic depression and an uncommon disease that makes him laugh uncontrollably. In this case, it was not so much the dialogue that displayed the message but the plot and the cinematography. Our seminar discussed this film this week and most agreed that although the film was chilling and dark it provided an important lens into the world of mental illness and a window into the mind of someone with severe mental problems. One of the most important lines in the film was the main character stating in a therapy session “all I have are negative thought” (Joker, 2019). As someone who knows multiple people who have been through the worst of depression, I believe that this statement is incredibly truthful in representing the daily life of someone with this debilitating disease.
I’m gonna say it… This was the most important week of class that we have had all year up until this point. I found the course material incredibly topical and helpful going forward. I will not forget the lessons that I have learned regarding the practice of decoding mass media and I will always be mindful of how the media is interacting with my thoughts.
Week Eight
Media rituals are an essential study, especially in today’s modern media world. At the beginning of the chapter text, there is a case study of a family and how they use media daily and how they have used this media to essentially change the way they live. In the seminar, we discussed similar examples as we individually attempted to recall all of the ways we consume mass media daily. For this blog, I thought it would be an interesting experiment to ask the same of my roommates as I know they are consuming immense amounts of media somewhat unknowingly, we will get to those results later in the blog. It is important to distinguish between traditional media and new media when looking into this topic because the two forms have had opposite trajectories in recent years as much of the youth culture has shifted away from their tv sets for their laptops. My personal media rituals are fairly unique compared to the average person as I am a student without cable television therefore I rely only on new media for entertainment while I am at school. It is interesting to think about how this has changed in my life, I remember a time when I only watched television. I would rush home at the end of every school day to watch Spongebob Squarepants and other kids programs and then finish my day watching sports with my dad until I fell asleep.
Now with advancements such as Netflix, I can have all of my favorite programs at the touch of a button. It is also essential to look at the media rituals surrounding other demographics of people. For example, the textbook addresses the media ritual of housewives who also have incredibly unique habits. Most of the general public is out of the house during the day at either work or school so mid-day television programming is geared towards the woman who is still at the house. This phenomenon birthed the incredibly popular tradition that is day time soap operas. Much like the serial radio listeners from the 1940s the soap opera consuming women use this day time programming to kill time and distract themselves from their daily lives.
As I mentioned earlier in the blog, I decided this week to gather some information about my roommates regarding their media consumption. I decided to ask them three main questions regarding their media consumption, 1) How long do they spend consuming media during the day? 2) How long do they spend on new media? 3) What do they most consume within new media? It was incredibly interesting to me that all of my roommates mentioned a general lack of traditional media consumption, this likely has to do with the fact that we do not have cable at our student house but they also said that even at home they are more likely to entertain themselves with new media. The results of the questions were as follows:
Question 1) How long do you spend consuming media per day?
Roommate 1: 4 hours
Roommate 2: 6 hours
Roommate 3: 2 hours
Question 2) How long do you spend on new media?
Roommate 1) 3.25 hours
Roommate 2) 4.5 hours
Roommate 3) 1 hour
3) What do they most consume within new media?
Roommate 1) Instagram
Roommate 2) Instagram
Roommate 3) Youtube
I found the results of this extremely enlightening as my housemate’s consumption of new media is very indicative of the youth culture of today. In our seminar, we also discussed the evolution of media rituals and discussed the fact that news media rituals have also changed amazingly. Formerly there were three main ways to receive news media the first of which was the traditional newspaper, the second of which was the radio and finally the classic television broadcast. Today, on the other hand, you can receive your news anywhere and anytime on your phone through social media, now we can get our information the second that it happens. In my opinion, our media rituals have become far less predictable as we are now able to consume media and be apart of an audience at the drop of a hat. It is clear to see that new media has taken over the way we go about our day. Our media consumption rituals have completely shifted based on the sheer eas of access available today.
To summarize it is clear that the media consumption rituals completely depend on the demographics of the consumer. It is also evident that with technological advancement and the wave of new media out consumption habits have completely changed due to the new capabilities brought about by new media platforms and the internet.
Week Nine
Audiences as producers and subcultures are the topics of this week’s course material and we discuss media fandom and audience subcultures. The world of fandom is an extreme one and a strange one at the same time. The dedication shared between the fans to the media that they love can consume them and create massive armies of people all in love with the same thing. A solid example of this is the fandom surrounding the film series “Star Wars”.
The fans of this series often watch the movies and television programs regularly and even dress up as the characters to go see the films. The most interesting aspect of this study to me is the mind frame of the fans and what their fandom represents. Personally, I would consider myself a superfan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and I find it fairly easy to draw comparisons between fans of film and fans of sports. Much like the Star Wars fans I also dress in my favorite player’s jersey whenever I go to watch the game, I believe that this allows me to feel as if I am apart of a community. The idea of community is what truly drives people to this level of fandom in my opinion as people enjoy sharing experiences with like-minded people. Initially, when this topic came to light this week I could not picture myself as a “super fan” of anything but I was simply not looking at the entire picture. We discussed our favorite content as a class and I found it baffling that everyone in the class came to the conclusion that they are a part of a fandom of one type or another. The widespread of this term is what is truly incredible to me, there were people in the class that were part of video game fandoms and there were people who loved specific movies so much that they made it their wallpaper on their laptop. This brought about the idea of subcultures and how they are formed. Subcultures consist of groups of people committed to their fandom so much that they find themselves within a community of similarly obsessed people.
In my case, I would consider myself a part of “leafs nation” which is the self-given name to those of us who love our Maple Leafs so much that we would remain loyal through 52 seasons without a Stanley Cup.
This is not limited to sports and film though. For Example, Lady Gaga has amassed such a large following that she has created her own subculture of fans who she calls her “little monsters”, these are the people that would go to war for their queen without hesitation. The textbook states that fans exist “more on the fringe of mainstream culture” (Sullivan, 195). Subcultures are exactly that, subsets of the larger society with specific interests and shared beliefs. The mainstream is always consumed by an immense amount of people but I would argue that the more passionate consumers reside within subcultures. Subcultures of super fans can exist for any form of media or really anything within the public sphere. This brought to mind an interesting case study based around the film “The Room” which is well known as possibly the worst film ever made and it is for that reason that it has remained a staple within a strange subculture devoted to terrible cinema. The film is still shown in theatres around North America regularly and is referenced in popular culture quite often. James Franco even made an entirely new movie based on the filming process of the film and the insanity surrounding it. This example goes to show that anything can develop a devoted following as long as people can find gratifications within it.
In the textbook, there are plenty of examples of films developing large fandoms and subcultures but I believe that social media has allowed for subcultures to develop around individuals. The idea of fan pages is one brought about by the internet based on the previous practice of fan clubs. Today there are accounts on all social media platforms with the sole purpose of fostering a community for superfans of individuals to come together and share their love. For example, a celebrity such as Justin Beiber has countless active fan pages on social media run by people with no ulterior motive other than sharing the love. Many of these accounts have 10s of thousands of followers all just as dedicated to their favorite pop star as the account owner. Social media has created a completely new way for subcultures to interact as you can literally find a fan count for essentially anything you could possibly imagine within the popular culture landscape.
I think it would be fair to say that almost everyone belongs to some sort of subculture. Fandom is something that does not require anything other than passion and the mindset of a super fan is one of pure love and unconditional support.
Week Ten
The term viral is one that used to mean infectious ailment but since the dawn of the internet it has taken on a completely new meaning. The internet is the home for new media and has become an absolute necessity for much of the developed world. With this new form of content creation comes to a whole new world of opportunities for people looking to capitalize on their 15 minutes of fame or maybe even turn into a full-blown celebrity. I feel that it is often forgotten today that Justin Beiber who is arguably the most influential pop star of our generation began his career on Youtube.
The internet offers something that traditional media cannot and that is billions of eyes to whomever it sees fit. The internet does not discriminate based on fame or fortune but it allows anyone to pick up a camera and become a celebrity. This has created an incredible shift in the world of fame as it seems that fame has almost become its own social status within the rankings of human success. Personally, I have tried to make many viral videos with my friends (unsuccessfully) but it is the access that the internet provides that allows for regular people to believe that one day it will be them Think to yourself what you would do if a crazy argument broke out in public today, your first reaction would likely not be to call the police it would probably to whip out your phone to create viral content. In the lecture, we talked about the idea that the audience has become the creators and this could not be truer. The internet has also created entirely new forms of media such as video game streaming and laugh compilations. Although the internet does create incredible opportunities it can also be a very cruel place as many times users will be bullied off a site for creating content that is seen as poor. This content creation is not restricted to video creation as many people have gained large followings on platforms such as Twitter which allow users to speak their minds and tell jokes all in the hopes of garnering attention and developing a large following. It seems as though anyone can be a celebrity these days and it makes for an incredibly interesting media landscape.
The idea of internet celebrity is something that has developed over time as the content has changed and improved. Youtube’s largest independent creator PewDiePie recently hit 100 million subscribers on the site which proves the immense platforms that some of these creators have been given. Internet entertainment has become such a staple within youth culture that advertisers have stumbled upon a new gold rush. In some cases, a simple video can attract more eyes than the SuperBowl making internet advertising quite expensive depending on the creator. YouTube creators at the highest level have become incredibly wealthy which has drawn the eye of mainstream celebrities like Will Smith who has decided to hop on board and attempt to shift their career towards the new media. The attractiveness of internet celebrity comes from the simple nature of the content needed to go viral and the accessibility to incredibly large audiences. For Example, popular vlogger David Dobrik has amassed such a large audience in recent years that he is receiving six-figure brand endorsement checks for simply mentioning a company like Seat Geek at the beginning of a four-minute and 20-second video. Internet celebrities have become mainstream celebrities within the blink of an eye and they have nobody to answer to but their fans.
Participatory culture as mentioned in the textbook is another reason for the massive popularity of sites like YouTube. Users are encouraged to post comments on the videos they watch to increase engagement with the video and promote it to a higher level on the page. The participation makes the user feel that they are part of the video and a popular comment of a popular video can receive 10s of thousands of likes and allows the user to promote their own channel. This form of participation is also encouraged on Twitter as users often reply to tweets that they consider thought-provoking of funny, the allows the tweet to be seen by more people and yet again allows for promotion of an account.
The internet has given birth to an entirely new form of celebrity and the idea of virality has only served to promote the potential for the average Joe. Participatory culture has allowed for a strong self-reliant community to develop online forcing mainstream celebrities to pay attention. Advertisers did not take long to see the value within the internet as they have discovered platforms that provide millions of young eyes.
Week Eleven
This course has been incredibly interesting to me as it has provided me with the knowledge that I would have never thought of before. These blogs have also helped me to gather my thoughts about course material and put it into my own world. I remember back to the first week of the course when we were told to think about our own personal audience experiences and all I could think about was sports games that I have attended. Now after going through this entire course, it is easy to see that we are always part of an audience and that my previous definition of the term was simply too narrow-minded. I found the week regarding the internet and audiences to be incredibly enlightening as it was something that I had talked about in previous blogs but did not fully grasp the full scope of what the internet has created. This class has also forced me to look into the mirror and address how I have been influenced by the media and how my mind has been controlled. I believe this is incredibly important as it is always essential to be mindful of where your thoughts are coming from.
The uses and gratifications lesson was also essential in my understanding of my own relationship with the media that I consume as I had never looked into why I get pleasure out of my media. I have also realized that everyone is different when it comes to audience studies and each person has different gratifications related to their personal media consumption.
The idea of fandom and subcultures has always been something that I have found incredibly interesting as I am drawn to passion and I love to see what every individual is passionate about. As I previously mentioned this for me would be the Toronto Maple Leafs but I had never considered myself to be a part of a subculture until we dove into the true meaning of the term. Overall this course was incredibly informative and truly interesting, I look forward to taking more audience studies courses in the future and learning more about this topic.
P.S. I apologize to my loyal readers for the short final blog but I think I have said it all and I need to go to bed and prepare for my final audience studies class tomorrow!
