The Media's Effect on Social Change

The Media, Ego and Social Change

Ego is directly related to how we socialize and how the media relates to us. A constant influx of knowledge and entertainment is constantly distracting by making it feel incomplete. Ego is how an individual identifies with itself by constantly creating a false sense of self by dictating what 'me" is and what it isn't therefore it is inherently false. This false sense of self is why the ego identifies with the media so well and why it is an integral part in creating that sense of lack. As a result people can overly identify with the ego making it easier to be hyper protective and threatened by anything that jeopordizes the false sense of self and the outside world. Most of the collective mentality identifies soley with the ego but a new wave of conciousness is materializing. This concieousness is the awareness before the thought that ego creates, therefore making it possible to seperate ones idea of self from the ego.

Today's consumer mentality is due in large part to the public relation work that Edward Bernays did throughout his career. The documentary The Century of Self shows that he based a large majority of his PR philosophies on his cousin Sigmun Freud's psychoanalytical school of psychology. He stated "If we undrestand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing about it? The recent practice of propaganda has proven that it is possible, at least up to a certain point and within certain limits". He named this process the Engineering of consent which is proof that by playing off of the ego we can be told what to believe and how to live our lives. Take the pro war stance for example that the Americans took after the events of 9/11 because their government decided to play off of the most basic fears of the ego. They scared the public through propaganda into ralying behind the war on terrorism. Many other example of this can be found through history. The medias of old like print, radio and television had the monopoly on the media thus dictating the standards of the past. However as new medias continue to emerge they become more controlled by the general public thus more self serving. This "century of self" is evidence of how the media directly feeds the times, the general publics narcissism and development of propaganda and advertising.

Who's Out There?

Audience Analysis

By:

Matt Carr, Andrew Barr, Dave Gilbey, Jessica Crowe, Jessica Mulholland Nick Durham and Mark Tarnovetsky

February 05, 2009

The following report is a synapses of the radio listening patterns of Loyalist College students and to make recommendations to improve the station. The report includes specific questions on general radio listening habits, lifestyle questions, purchase behaviors and standard questions. The listening trends appear to show a 100% radio involvement amongst Loyalist students while 91X is not one of the more popular stations. The lifestyle trends focused on, were mainly involving transportation and spending habits.

While it was obvious that Loyalist students listen to the radio, not all found 91X to be the most popular, 44 % did not listen to it at all. The most frequent responses in regards to popularity were The Mix and Cool 100, due to the most popular genres being Rock, Hip Hop, Country, and Alternative. The stations most listened to for the news was KRock and CBC radio. Out of the students interviewed 44 % tuned in to the radio in the morning, listening on average up to two hours. As the day progressed fewer students would tune into the radio, with 6 % listening in the evening. Out of the morning audience, 31 % of them tuned in during their commute to school, while 62% of them do not drive to school. After reviewing these statistics we believe it to be pertinant to focus more on advertisments within the school and more frequent and relevant news during the peek hours in morning.

The students were interviewed about their lifestyle habits, with 56% of them playing sports, 62% attended night clubs, 93 % watched TV, and 81% exercised regularly. They were also questioned on their spending habits, 37% admitted to shopping online, 6% from television, and 31% buying from stores. When purchasing, 44% used their debit card, 31% relied on a credit card, and only 18% used cash. Also, they differed in how much they would spend; 31% spent under $25, 25% would spend $25 to $50, and another 25% spending over $50. The students were then asked personal questions, 66% interviewed were female and 31% male. Out of these 68% were between the ages of 18 and 24, and earned an income ranging from $0 to $10,000 dollars. Due to the new trend of online shopping we believe it would be a good idea to do more advertising online and sell their gear.

After analyzing this information, we have determined that there is a serious lack of interest in 91X on the part of Loyalist students. We believe that if there were to be more advertising internally in our college community, as well as external, with more relevant content for students then the percentage of listeners would increase dramaticly. The majority who listened to the radio for news did not do so through 91X, therefore, more international news might bring in a larger listening audience.

Making the Connection

Real Men Cheer Promo

The pitch:

This project I found to be very entertaining! My mission was to pick a topic and write a commercial about it then pitch it to an audience as if it were real.

I ended up picking cheerleading because as a cheerleader I noticed a definate lack of male participants. More specifically I chose males, ages 12-24 as this is the age in which the sport is most popular. My idea was to pitch it like a beer commercial and play, as with all forms of advertising in the media, off of their egos.

My next step was to then identify all of the reasons beer commercials are so attractive to men. I realized early on that it was imperative to recreate that excitement about all things male through the commercial. How was I to do this? I aimed to use three different elements that I thought would best communicate it in this way.

I first thought how great it would be to make the commercial in the first person view as is so popular in video games nowadays, but more so to try and get them to feel something from the commercial. So I knew that I needed to have it relate to sex as it was the most obvious and easy get them to relate and peak attention immediately. I chose also to challenge their masculinity by showing them how intense a sport it really is through its impressive stunts and all the painful mishaps that are an inescapable part of cheerleading. Lastly I thought it essential for the commercial to be funny.

With all of these elements I had the makings of a successful commercial. I gave something of old a new spin and in the end I got some laughs. Mission accomplished!

Have a read of my script!

Media Experience
Real Men Cheer Promo
Draft #1

Video and Audio

FADE UP FULL SCREEN CAMERA WE ARE IN FIRST PERSON AND THE CAMERA IS LOOKING UP FROM THE GROUND AND “BLINKING”

STATIC OR RINGING SOUNDS WITH UNDECIPERABLE VOICES
Voice of god (VoG):
Some say its not a sport.
:04

CUT TO FLASHES OF CHEERLEADING ACCIDENTS W/ STYLIZED SOUND BOXES

APPROPRIATE SOUND EFFECTS FOR VISUALS
:03

CUT BACK TO FIRST PERSON VIEW PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO GATHER AROUND

VoG:
RINGING GETS LOUDER Does this look familiar?
:02

CUT TO HOCKEY FIGHT, FOOTBALL TACKLE, AND A RANDOM VIOLENT SPORT CLIP

APPROPRIATE SOUNDS GRUNTING ETC.
:03

CUT BACK TO FIRST PERSON GRABBING AN OUTSTRETCHED HAND AND GETTING UP

STATIC/RINGING CLIMAX THEN CUTS TO AUDIBLE VOICES AND SOUNDS
VoG:
So what’s the only difference?
:02

CUT TO PLAYER DRIBBLING THEN TO TOSS HANDS, A PLAYER THROWING A BALL THEN TO TUMBLING, A SWEATY CONTACT THEN DANCING GIRLS

APPROPRIATE SOUNDS TILL DANCE THEN GUY MUSIC STARTS
:03

CUT TO FIRST PERSON BEING PULLED BY A GIRL TO A SET POSITION FOR A STUNT. TOSS/WALK IN CHAIR. AS HAND COMES IN TO SHOT IT READS “WISH YOU WERE HERE?”

MUSIC CONTINUES W/ GYM SOUNDS
:03

CUT TO RANDOM CHEERLEADING CLIPS GETTING MORE INTENSE AND SPEEDING UP

MUSIC GROWS
:04

CUTS TO SLOW MOTION OF SOMETHING REALLY IMPRESSIVE

MUSIC CUTS TO SILENCE AND GRUNTS
:03

CUT TO BLACK

VoG:
Now let’s see you do that with your balls.
:03

FADE OUT

What's out there?

Radio
Andrew Barr
January 8, 2009
I quite enjoyed Lorne Brooker’s insights on radio. He related many anecdotes and shared equal amounts of information. He touched on three main areas of this media; hosting, production and promotions. It seems to be, by Lorne’s description, a very stimulating area of media.
Production sounded the least intriguing to me as it seemed to have little payoff and a lot of menial work. Promotions I think would be another area I might be adept at. It’s a very detailed oriented area of radio and more about getting things organized from community involvement and commercials to organizing travel and contest. Radio has an immediate sense of satisfaction and connection to the audience. The aspect I would appreciate the most would be hosting. Lorne related that hosting could be most challenging. He listed good points such as how it can be difficult to fill time, relating to your demographic and selling the issues. I learned there are also different ways to run a show like being mellow and passive or being opinionated and confrontational.
This area also sounded like it was a much less intensive area of media. As I understood if you were well versed on topics both local, national or of the general collective then you were well on your way. I believe it will be fascinating to explore this area of media further and I look forward to doing so.

Print, Photo and e-journalism
Andrew Barr
January 8, 2009
Today in class we had Luke Hendry come in to share some of his experiences he’s had in print and photo journalism. It was very insightful as I hadn’t given this area of media much thought. It seemed to be a rather exciting area of media. He covered some basic thing such as how they actually get a story to how unpredictable it can be.
One of the things that I felt was a reoccurring theme throughout Luke’s lecture was that this industry is intensely based on ones relationships within the community. These relations have a huge affect on a journalist as each has a main area in which to focus their attention such as sports, arts or the military. If in good standing then a story can be as easy as a phone call where one would normal have to dig for a story. What I took from the lecture was that it is a relatively independent profession as it is always up to you in the end to get the story. It also like many other areas of media has the option of freelancing or a secure job.
One of the more attractive things that I saw in this profession was how it was ever changing and exciting. It seemed to never be the same story twice, sticky situations come with the job, it is demanding both physically and mentally and definitely unpredictable. I believe I may enjoy this profession for the shear excitement which seems to be closely associated with this area of media.

Animation and Web Design
Andrew Barr
January 7, 2009
We had Jay come into our class today to talk to us about Animation and Web design. After listening to him I realized how much work and commitment this area of media takes. He focused mainly on the two different areas of web design. The first being freelancing or self employment and the second an office setting.
Each of these areas, as Jay outlined, has their benefits and downfalls. One of the main points that he had was the difference in security of both jobs. Freelancing had little security as you don’t have people finding and setting up contracts for you whereas in the office you do. Working in an office also had the added benefit of things such as the social setting, collaboration and supervision. Freelancing could be very difficult for some as if you do not have the appropriate time management skills then work can quickly fall behind. However if you do have the needed skills work could be accomplished quickly and you would be making 100% profit as you are charging for your time spent.
All in all this area of media to me appears to be rather tedious, however very rewarding. I did however enjoy the idea of having such an amazing creative outlet. I think I would enjoy more so the animation or Photoshop aspect of this work as it pertains to some current areas I am interested in such as modeling or promotions such as fliers. I have in the past had the experience of creating a web page and I found it rather difficult and very dull. I am not sure how much I would like to delve into this media other than Photoshop. I learn a lot from Jay and I have a great respect for amount of time and effort that his projects must take.

Television and New Media Production
Andrew Barr
January 5, 2009
After listening to Dan Nyznik today in class it reaffirmed my interest in this area of media. He mentioned a couple of different aspects in this area of media that I found attractive. From the different areas of the field to the quintessential curiosity that goes hand in hand with journalism
I enjoyed the though of the many different areas that this field has to offer. It seems exciting and I enjoy the idea of a constantly changing environment that keeps you on your toes. I have always enjoyed being in the know which, is an essential part of this field. Meeting people and knowing how to talk to them is also an integral part of the journalism aspect of this field. I have always thought of myself a people person so this I believe would come easily to me. The thought also of having at the end of the day a finished product that could be called my own seems very satisfying.
I am inspired by the thought of being on the forefront of history, in the midst of all the action and being recognized for my work. Dan mentioned that it is common place for smaller stations to have a journalist to act as both “shooter”. This would definitely take advantage of my artistic ability and organizational. This I can imagine to be one of the more satisfying area however more intensive and demanding. Production is another area Dan touched on. I am also attracted to this aspect because of the organization needed as well as the satisfaction of a job well done. My abilities to deal with and people would also be useful if I were to decide to pursue the aspect. Ideally I would most enjoy being the anchor or host of a program. I have always enjoyed being in the limelight after many stage productions and some modeling experience. Except to be able to represent or be the face of something seems to be my main attraction to this area of media.
Broadcast journalism to me is one of the ultimate purveyor of truths. I say truths because as Dan mentioned that often there is more than one, often even three or four sides to every truth. As we know it is the medias obligation to do so. Anything short of that to me would be unacceptable. It is the ultimate connection to the world for the laymen and thus one of the most effective ways to communicate not only the cold hard facts but also underlying emotion and humanity that is every where we look.
I am very thankful for the experience of being able to have some for of professional insight into this field. It has opened my eyes to how vast, exciting and satisfying this field can be. My interest and enthusiasm peaked I am look forward to exploring this field and my options in it in greater detail.