Commodification in TV

In class last week we talked about commodification in the media. It was defined as the blending of advertisements within programming. Some of the examples we used were The Truman Show and popular brands of soda used in reality shows. The first thing that came to my mind was the television show American Idol. The blatantly obvious commododification in the show is the Coca-Cola use. The judges are all shown drinking out of Coke glasses, and there are multiple commercials for the soda brand throughout the duration of the show. This is similar to what we discussed in class and not that out of the ordinary for most reality TV shows. I think that if you watch more of the show, you can see that American Idol crosses the line of simple advertising and begins to shove products down your throat.
The finalists of American Idol always do group songs together during the show, and sometimes they create actual music videos for viewers to watch. This would be completely harmless if the music video was not sponsored by Ford. Due to the fact that American Idol has corporate sponsorship the music videos that they show morph into a three minute commercial with some catchy pop song with one goal in mind: to make you buy a Ford. It is one thing for a television show to have commercial breaks, but when the products are being thrown at you throughout the entirety of the episode it gets a bit ridiculous. I think American Idol takes commodification to another, way more annoying level. I hope that media does not continue on this downward spiral into consumerism and focuses more on the actual substances of television shows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB0VUAJyFM0

Amplifying/Reducing the World of Hospital Dramas

In class Thursday we discussed different themes that are present in the media that we watch, specifically those that amplify and reduce other aspects. The group that I was in talked about the genre drama, more specifically in hospitals and soap operas. I love watching shows like Greys Anaytomy, House, E.R. and the new show Off the Map has become kind of a "guilty pleasure of mine". Then we see the soap opera General Hospital that can definitely fall in this category. There are so many others, but I will just highlight these few.

Drama is amplified greatly in these shows, there is always something major and scandalous going on, that is what keeps us tuned in week after week or day after day. They are entertaining and exciting and we like to see how each story unfolds. The thing that is reduced however is the lack of medical procedures that are actually performed on the shows themselves, which is comical considering these are shows that are supposed to be about what kinds of things happen in hospital settings or between doctors, or etc.

The major problem that always happens with hospital dramas is the fact of distinguishing fact from fiction. Obviously, the viewing public are not naive and the majority of people can separate fact from fiction, but it cannot be denied that some people may think that it is a true picture of hospital life. Many people also argue the fact that since these are hospital shows they should show more procedures being done, not just snippets.

These dramas, like all other dramas are on air for a reason: entertainment, that is where they get their ratings. If they were going to show more medical procedures being done then they would most likely be in another catagory and on Discovery Health or the Discovery channel. I think they are great the way they are and I hope they don't change because they are all great and they let us enjoy watching the good looking and smart doctors and nurses every week.

Narrative Coherence: Jersey Shore

In class last week we watched a clip of Jersey Shore (might I add I am not a fan, sorry) as an example to describe the narrative section from the different rhetorical perspectives. In the words of Dr. McCauliff, “Thank you, Walter Fisher, for your ideas about the narrative perspective.” Throughout this entire lesson, the section about the narrative coherence is where I believe Jersey Shore fits in the most. Based upon coherence and how the characters act in a reliable fashion, I believe Nicole and Mike fit their roles well in the show. We as viewers expect Nicole, or “Snooki”, to get drunk and completely embarrass herself in every way imaginable. We find it entertaining that the most unattractive is probably the most “entertaining” in the house. Her antics and ways of having fun make her enjoyable to the millions of viewers who watch Jersey Shore. The same is for Mike, or should I say “The Situation”, is known as the buff ladies man. He takes longer than a woman to get dressed and go out to the club. He is always looking for a girl or girls to bring back home after a fun night at the club. He is always attempting to out do all the other guys in the house by bringing home the most ladies and having the best story to tell when the ladies come over. So again, we as viewers expect him to act as such because that is what he presented to us in the first two seasons. So, if he all of a sudden changes his actions we as viewers may not be as interested in him or even Snooki. Should this change occur then our interest in the show may decrease and so will Jersey Shore ratings.

Media Logic: "16 & Pregnant"

Today while I was with my son and his mother, we coincidently came up upon an episode of “16 and Pregnant”. I personally have never seen the show but Koren (my sons mother), was able to explain the story of each girl in the show. I want to touch on what Mike and I discussed in class and what he mentioned to the class. Mike said that “16 and Pregnant” seemed to teach us that having one child will change our lives forever and the changes we will have to make are dramatic. He said that the show seems to send the message that raising a child is very hard, and practically an impossible task. While on the other hand there are shows like “18 and counting”, and this show sends off a message that says, “Hey we have seventeen children and being parents to all 17 of them is easy and we want more children.” This show opposes the thought of “16 and Pregnant” which shows how hard it is raising one child. This falls under media logic, because the norm for us is to have children when you are older (preferably not a teenager), and have a family, similar to “18 and Counting”, and the show about the NFL kicker’s family. That is what we desire, a big family with the father, mother, and children all living happily under the same roof. While, in contrast, people do not want the life those young teenagers are living; with the fathers walking out on them and their child; or their parents on their backs telling them how to be better parents; or the teens just not being more responsible and accountable for their actions.

The Extreme Amplifying/Reducing in the Media World of High School

Today in class we discussed different themes that are present in media, specifically those that amplify and reduce other aspects. Different things that were mentioned included parenting, violence, self-exposure, and reality television. My group came up with another topic, and that is the portrayal of high school in the media and the lives of those who are currently in high school. Examples of this include Gossip girl, Beverly Hills 90210, Mean girls, the O.C., and One Tree Hill. These are only examples from television and movies, but in books, music, etc. the same theme of high school life continues.

The picture that is painted of these people’s lives surrounds non-stop drama that involves family members, friends, and constant crazy love triangles. The drama is literally amplified so much and then creates the most outrageous situations that no normal seventeen year old could or should find him or herself in. The more “real” activities that one would take part in day to day are then downplayed and reduced to sometimes not even being acknowledged or seen. So, somehow these girls and guys find little or no time for jobs or schoolwork, even though those two things often consume real high school students’ lives most of the time.

Sure, sometimes scenes of athletic games are shown which does represent some true normalcy of high school life, or a big test or paper is mentioned. Other things are still blown so out of proportion that it is no wonder that young kids have a totally misconstrued perception of the high school world. I know I did when I watched shows and movies before actually experiencing it. If we all believed that there would be only time for dates, parties, and constant catch up with friends all day long at school, we would all have a very rude awakening the first day as a freshman.

Parasocial Theory & Madden

I have a major problem with the game Madden. Whenever I find myself with spare time and no other people around, I pop in a version (from ’98-’08) and play a few games. On more than one occasion, I have been chastised by my friends for appearing to “involved” in the game. For example, last week I was playing my division rivals, The Seattle Seahawks, and my roommate Aaron had to keep reminding me that the defenders on my team were being picked apart by an NPC (non-player character).
Essentially, I live my life on that game. I know more about player stats and American Football than I do about my own life. I own multiple fantasy trophies based upon my knowledge of people I do not know. Ray Lewis and I do not hang out on Sundays, nor do I take Peyton Manning and his brother Eli with me when I go fishing. But I can tell you that next season Peyton Manning stands to become the first NFL player with a career 3:1 touchdown average and that he and his wife have a sort of hush-hush relationship agreement when it comes to other men and women. I feel it is safe to move on without erupting brains too much more. Hell, I could go on for days about any player in the NFL. We could talk for hours upon hours, as if we knew them—as if they were our most coveted friend—but in the end, it would all just be parasocial.

My friendships are all parasocial...

I have my high school friends, my college friends, and then I have my celebrity friends: Ellen, the Karsashians, Snooki, all the girls on Desperate Housewives, and of course Meredith and Christina from Grey’s Anatomy. I define my relationships with the celebrities as normal, totally rational friendships. However, pop culture labels my friendships as parasocial relationships. Parasocial relationships are defined as one-sided friendships.

Even though I knew Ellen reads my blog posts, and the Kardashians appreciate my feedback on their clothing line, pop culture says that my friendship with the celebrities is one-sided, and that the celebrities do not really acknowledge that I exist. How did I get so attached to all my celebrity girlfriends? Marshall McLuhan coined a famous term, “The Medium is the Message”.

I doubt I would be best friends with the Kardashians and Snooki if their life story was written as an autobiography and placed on one of the many shelves in Barnes and Noble. The fact that their messages and stories were sent through the television (also known as the medium) is the reason I tuned into their stories. In other terms, the television was more important that the actual message that was being portrayed. “The Medium is the Message” is also apart of the media-centered perspective.

My celebrity girlfriends also play a trick on me, which pop culture so kindly pointed out. Commodification occurs when one is easily influenced. Since Snooki’s signature “hair pouf” is so popular at the clubs, I began styling my hair with a poof. Ellen is addicted to cat photos, so I will search google in the hopes of finding the cutest cat picture and posting it on Ellen’s blog. My parasocial relationships were built through a medium, that now influence the way I shape my reality.

Why Study Pop Culture/Narrative Perspective/Glee

There are many reasons why we should study pop culture. These reasons can vary from the fact that we are exposed to pop culture or to the fact that it gives something for people to study. I think the biggest reason why we study and should study pop culture is because we, the people, decide what pop culture is and why it is that way. Think about it. Why would you be into some of the things you are into? People tell us to watch something and we do it. People are constantly exposing us to new things and then we expose others to it. Next thing we know we are hooked. Below is an example of the show Glee and how the Narrative Perspective can give us insight on to why we get hooked to television shows shows in pop culture

Glee! This television phenomenon has sparked the interest of many people. This musical Dramatic-Comedy has sparked interest of fans all around the Globe. Glee is a show that follows around 12 high school students and their teachers on a “journey” through their lives as they strive to stand out and be special. This show has brought something to the table everyone can enjoy. Relatable Characters, amazing chorography, plot lines ranging from serious concepts, like religion, to fun concepts such as Brittany Spears, spectacular song covers, and overall themes contribute to what has become the shows key to success. Glee is everywhere these days. CDs, DVDs, Clothing Lines, Live Concerts, a book series, and other merchandise have contributed to the hype. For better or for worse, this show is everywhere. Why is such a show popular?

From a Narrative perspective, the show has stories that have narrative coherence and fidelity. Knowing that the show is a musical show, the characters act in a reliable fashion that makes sense to the audience. Such a reliable fashion includes random hallway singing and dancing to already known choreography. Also it is a story about a high school. The story follows these students on adventures such as dating, sex, and popularity. The show also gives value to the message that the arts are important, specifically Music Education. On Occasion the glee club has been seen performing with the Jazz Band and the School Marching Band. This is known as Narrative Fidelity. Walter Fisher, a communication scholar, would say that the show displays Narrative Rationality. To have Narrative Rationality, a story needs both coherence and fidelity.

After looking at Glee from a narrative perspective, it is easy to see why we get hooked. We interpret life through storytelling. If there is one thing Glee does well, it is tell life through stories. And we put value to the stories glee shares with us. Although not everyone enjoys the stories told in Glee, it still hooks up to a large audience. One thing the Narrative Perspective argues is that not all stories are created equal. Obviously the stories of glee aren’t for everyone, but for those who do enjoy it can enjoy it even more knowing why they enjoy it. At least from a narrative perspective that is.

The Importance of Stories

When looking at whether or not pop culture is important, it seems like there is no question. It exists so let’s be curious about it. Personally, the examination of what sort of ring tones each gender uses or the philosophy of the Geico gecko is not as compelling as the pop culture that involves stories.

Stories are the one of the most effective forms of expression. Emotions are too complex for vocabulary. The English language has an absurd number of words—way more than any other language—but there is still a compromise to the nuances. The word “love” does not encompass what that word actually entails. So stories are created to replicate feelings and ideas so others can experience them.

Then the analysis comes from whether or not the story was as effective as it could be or whether it is a story worth telling. In order to fully have that emotional connection, quality is important. Sticking with the concept of love, what movie made you swoon: the wonderful Irish musical Once or the half-assed No Strings Attached?

When all of the elements are working there is something profound happening. The human experience can be richer and there is greater understanding of humanity. That is not to say that all stories must be dense and academic; the stories that make you laugh are just as important as the ones that make you cry. Laughter is invoking a pure emotion containing joy and surprise. It’s reactionary and yet still personal. This is effective expression. The artist observed something that struck them and they want to convey that to you. Through creation, we are now laughing at an actualized version of his thought.

So it is important to be critical. Stories have the potential for so much greatness that it is silly to keep supporting the ones that aren’t working. I don’t understand the idea of a “guilty pleasure” because I think you should be able to articulate why you like something. What you watch should be good, at least to you. I adore shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, but I can also tell you why the show Greek is worthwhile…well at least the first few seasons. It’s not snobbery; it’s about recognizing when something is working, no matter the genre or subject matter. Those are the stories that really matter.

Now it would be completely silly to post this without telling a story of my own. So here’s a very simple story reflecting some of the stuff I’ve talked about.

“Honey?”

“Hmm?”

“You seem down.”

“Oh. I dunno. Sorry.”

“It’s just that you’re eating Fruity Pebbles. Nobody should look down when they’re eating Fruity Pebbles.”

“Because if you look down you’ll see this colory grossness?”

“Ah! Take that back.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just…what do you see when I hold my hands like this?”

“Like you’re holding an invisible basketball?”

“Yeah.”

“Nothing.”

“Yeah, exactly. There’s nothing here but in my imagination I see a globe. I can describe to you the color of the ocean and the way it turns and how Europe looks too simplified. I can describe that for hours and hours and no matter what, you won’t see the same globe I see. It’ll just be a little bit different and there’s something sad about that. That no matter what, we can’t experience the same thing.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“What?”

“Sad. It doesn’t have to be sad. Imagine that. One world and there’s only one perspective to see things. Where’s the fun in that? If we all saw sunflowers the same way, then we wouldn’t have what earless wonder did. I can’t see your globe, you can’t see mine but we have visions of each others. You didn’t fail, you inspired.”

“From all of that, from all you said, I feel that…it’s okay that I don’t like Fruity Pebbles.”

“No it is not. Seriously, what the hell?”

--Austin Lugar

Three-Year-Old in Too Deep

“Bieber fever.” Urban dictionary defines Bieber fever as “the act, or disease of being literally obsessed with Justin Bieber. Most commonly found in girls, but occasionally a guy or two.” On the first day we discussed popular culture addictions or obsessions. It is difficult for me to argue so many young girls supposedly uncontrollable magnetic gravitation toward Justin Beiber. “Young girls” are not understatement. Last week one of my colleagues posted a video of a three-year old girl sobbing about her love for Justin Beiber. Three years old. What did you cry about when you were three years old?

In class we discussed married women’s addiction to the Twilight series. Here I highlight an three-year olds undying love for a young musician. There are a couple of evaluations and questions I propose about this situation. First of all, does popular culture addiction have no limits or boundaries? The music of a young boy who has not hit puberty is causing extremely trauma to a girl who is learning how to share and take turns.

This you tube video and situation evokes uncontrollable emotion within me. I am angry, hurt, amused, disgusted, shocked, horrified, and nonetheless completely intrigued. It would be extremely easy for me to continue this post and ramble about the multiple avenues for exploration this “Bieber fever” phenomena provide for popular culture scholars but that is my exact purpose for the post. I wanted to introduce everyone to this video and evoke thought for further evaluation. This is our passion for popular culture.

My Secret Obsession

At a time like this when the weather is just terrible outside, and all I want to do is lay in bed, I find myself indulging in one of my secret pop culture obsessions: the television show Gossip Girl. I’m honestly not even sure as to why I love that show, but I find myself searching the Internet for full episodes when it isn’t on TV, or finding out when new episodes are on and setting my DVR accordingly.

Gossip Girl is a show about a group of upper class families and friends who live in New York. My favorite part about the show is that each new episode feeds off of the one before it and continues with the story line. The drama that happens between all of the characters has me wanting to know more every week. I always want to know the ending of the story but each episode ends on a cliffhanger, making me crazy for an entire week because I toss around scenarios in my head about what might be happening in the following episode.

We talked in class a little bit about the article, “Has a Pop-Culture Addiction Ever Taken Over Your Life,” and we discussed the fact that some pop-culture TV obsessions seem to make us feel lost or confused when the story finally comes to an end. The example that was brought up was the show Lost. I am anticipating the final episode of Gossip Girl to have me feeling extremely confused, but hopefully by then I will be able to analyze why I was so drawn to the show and what made it a “good” show.

Why Should We Study Pop Culture?

Pop culture, also known as anything that you and your friends discuss while waiting in line at Wal-Mart (which, coincidentally, is also a part of pop culture), essentially runs the world. The "preferred" way of life (i.e. the socially accepted way), thus, becomes the only way. I mean, I know personally that my distaste of Lost has ruined many friendships... temporarily. I find it slightly appalling, as well, that my lack of taste in shows such as Jersey Shore Tosh.O seems to be "the wrong thing to do." Pop culture, the God of America, requires studying, as it may very well be a leading cause of change.

How can one deny that North Face jacket when everyone they know who snowboards has one? How can you not buy the latest iPod, knowing full-well that applications exist making the storage capacity irrelevant? Pop culture is an addiction, ever-changing to our slightest whims and desires. An inanimate being of collected "super-knowledge" (a.k.a. survey research) that will never cease to dazzle and amaze. But, if you can learn to dissolve the glamor and see past the luxurious appeal, proper decisions (your own, at that) can be made. Pop culture, then, must be studied, if one is to learn how best to repel its aggressive allure.

Pop culture has taken its time melding itself to our daily lives. And even when it has successfully done so, it may yet be subjected to a "newer", more "enjoyable" form of pop culture that will sweep us off our feet all over again.

Why We Should Study Popular Culture

Sellnow states, “Because it is impossible to avoid popular culture, we must become educated consumers of it.” Before college, I may have disagreed. I’ve always enjoyed television and music, but I felt that focusing on those things wasn’t necessarily “correct.” I thought I was supposed to be buried in history books, or studying fine arts. Obviously those things are important, but now, more than ever, I feel popular culture has just as much importance. And the more I learn, popular culture includes subjects such as history and fine arts.

As Sellnow discusses, popular culture helps shape beliefs and behaviors. Teen Mom on MTV is a great example of shaping behaviors. Teen Mom follows teenage girls who are usually trying to finish high school while balancing the birth of their first child. Twenty years ago, it was a big deal for a girl to show up at her high school pregnant. Now, it is so much more common. This show does not promote teen pregnancy, but it does allow girls to feel more comfortable, knowing that other girls their age are sharing some of the same experiences. I have many friends who are addicted to this show. Teen Mom is important popular culture because it is real. It is something that is happening all across the country. It’s almost as if people are more willing to talk, and share struggles they are having because we see real people struggling on television.

By becoming educated consumers of popular culture, we are keeping ourselves aware of what is going on in our country. Sure, some “texts”, such as reality television shows, can be seen as trashy and a waste of time. But a lot of popular culture also has great motives behind it. I’ve watched multiple celebrities contribute time and money to Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Extreme Makeover brings a crew of people in to completely re-build dream a dream house for a family that deserves it. This show has been extremely successful. It shows how kind our country can be towards families that need or deserve help.

These are just two of the thousands and thousands examples of popular culture that can be studied. Popular culture is important because it’s real. We might as well consume it, because it’s not going anywhere.

Thoughts from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

The other night I was watching episodes of this Whose Line Is It Anyway? It is a show that puts stand-up comedy in a game show environment. It is hosted by Drew Carey . Each episode he has comedians participate in short-form improvisation games. Drew has four comedians on each episode and these comedians have to create characters, scenes, and/or songs on the spot. I have always been impressed how quickly the comedians come up with the scenes and how closely they are able to mimic the real pop culture.

In the particular episode that caused me to think about my communication and pop culture class, Wayne Brady, one of the show’s main comedians, was challenged to sing a show to a man from the audience like Britney Spears would sing. He imitated her dance moves, her pop style of singing, and even how she has trouble with her microphone. This particular skit caused me to think about how much these comedians have to know about our pop culture. They have to come up with their material on the spot. Drew Carey reads them the setting or scene and right away they start. Now, these skits they perform are only funny to the audience if we know what they are referring to and if they are able to mimic it closely. The show in and of itself is pop culture, but the comedians on it also have to have a broad base of knowledge of both current and past pop culture.

What are your thoughts? What are other areas where there is a need to have lots knowledge of the pop culture to be a part of the pop culture?

Rap: Not Always About Money, Fame, and Women

Ask a group of people to tell you what the rap music is all about and chances are they will say it's all about money, women, and drugs. Now, this is true for the majority of "mainstream rap," the usual stuff you hear invading your radio waves and television programs, but if you dig just a little under the surface, you will find there are dozens of rap songs that include none of the usual rap stereotypes mentioned above and actually have a good message behind them.

I know many people that absolutely hate rap music because of the lyrical content mentioned above. Being a huge fan of the genre, I try to defend it the best I can. Whenever arguments about rap come up, my friends always end up saying there is no such thing as a rap song with a positive message and challenge me to name one. Instantly, a few songs come to mind.

The first song that enters my mind whenever this challenge is made is "Keep Ya Head Up" by Tupac. Normally known for his more violent raps popularized towards the end of his life when gangsta rap was all the rave, most people forget that Tupac's earlier work had a much more positive message. The song mentioned above is a song (to quote the song) "for all the ladies raisin' babies on their own." The song talks about how single mothers should keep their head up even when things are tough and they're all alone.

Perhaps the biggest message in the song is for all the rappers out there who rap about women as objects and show little to no respect for them at all. Tupac says that if we don't start treating women better, "we'll have a race of babies that will hate the ladies that make the babies."

In the second verse, Tupac pays homage to his own mother. He recognizes how tough it was for her to raise her children in the ghetto. Although she didn't do a perfect job, she kept her head up and did the best that she could. Pac would go on to write another song dedicated to his mother called "Dear Mama,"

It was not a fluke for Tupac to have a song like this. There are dozens more of his songs like this ("Dear Mama", "Ghetto Gospel", and "Changes" just to name a few.) I just find it odd that Tupac broke away from his socially-conscious raps of his earlier years when he joined Death Row records. Perhaps it was the reputation of the label, personal changes, or just a way to cash in on the gangsta rap craze of the time, but no one can deny that Tupac is one of the greatest rappers to ever live.

"Keep Ya Head Up"

Why Popular Culture is Important To Me

To me, popular culture is all of the entertaniment, books, comics, games, sports, that are out for people to view and be influenced by. It influences our culture everyday with new ideas and feelings. The whole idea of popular culture fascinates me. If you were to ask my friends or my family, they would tell you that I am a popular culture "nut", or rather I know everything about entertainment. I would agree with the fact that I know more than most of them, but there is still so much that I have to learn about entertainment. When it comes to games and comics, I don't know a lot about the stories behind them.

Reality television has always been what some people call a "guilty pleasure" for me. I love reality television. There are so many reality shows out there that I find myself tuning into week after week even if I don't want to tune in, but each of them teaches us something different every week. Whether it be life lessons, what not to do, how to react in tough situations, how not to react, ect., they all have different ways of getting their messages across, just like scriped television. I love T.V. and I find myself on Monday nights tuning into shows like Gossip Girl, 90210, or Greek just because they are good, but they allow me to step out of my own life for a while and let me relax and watch other peoples lives unfold in front of me. Tuesday nights it is all about Glee, that show is just fantastic, because of the way that so many teenagers and adults can relate to the characters and the issues those characters endure each episode.

I think that it is important to study popular culture, because with all of the technology we have today, it is allowing pop culture to be everywhere. Popular culture allows everyone to come together too which is important. Without popular culture the world would definitely be a boring place. I want to study popular culture because it plays such a huge role in my life, it leads to a lot of discussions that I have with friends everyday, and I have made friends out of people just by simply watching the same shows as them and talking about them with my friends. Popular culture is so interesting and important to so many people so if we take the time to study it and learn about its affects on peoples lives everyday, we can have a better understanding of why it is so intreguing and why it plays such a big part in our everyday lives and we can also learn about all of the different aspects of it.

SKINS

I am guilty of having an obsession with British television. Ever since I came back from London I have been hooked. My all-time favorite show is ‘Skins’. The show tells a story about British teenagers just trying to get through life in Bristol. One sees what goes on with their family, friends, and sometimes even their love life. It goes into detail with metal illness, substance abuse, and drugs.

Although, most of the show deals with them partying and doing drugs it is extremely entertaining. Every two seasons a new cast comes in. The new British series premiers this week and I wish I could be excited but, America is at minimum six months behind.

What has been really bothering me is the premier of the MTV version of ‘Skins’. This has been the topic of discussion for many people recently. Many peoples main gripe is that MTV failed to even change the storyline a little bit. They took the British version and just changed it to American characters. As you can see from the video below the two shows are extremely alike.





It is one thing to borrow some things from the UK version. However, to have the exact same storyline makes things dull. I will tune in to watch the new version but, I don’t believe I’m going to like it. If you’re going to bring a show like ‘Skins’ to the United States you should at least change a few things and make it different. Not just change the accent and look of the characters.

Jersey Shore: Trashy, yet embarrassingly enough, Entertaining

Today in class the question was asked if any of us had experienced totally disliking a show that was majorly popular, and later overturning our opinion of it. I decided to admit that this had indeed happened to me; just this last year in fact. I knew it was a show that many across the world watched (I had a friend studying in Ireland that couldn’t wait for the show to hit their airwaves) so that made it a little easier to admit that I now enjoy watching MTV’s Jersey Shore.

The reason this was so hard for me to admit was because I had been so against watching this show from the moment it came out. Sure, I heard my roommates discuss it, read about it online and in my magazines, and saw previews for it while watching other shows on MTV, but I really felt that it was just trash reality television and a waste of my time. I still feel that the show itself and the characters on it are trashy and shameless, but above all that, the show is way entertaining.

I’m assuming everyone knows at least what Jersey Shore is about and what it entails, so I won’t go into major details about the show, but here are a few examples of what goes on, for those who have not seen an episode: drinking, fighting, sex, and don’t forget GTL. The fact that these people got famous literally by partying every day of their lives and doing other extreme things is really what bothered me the most. I didn’t want to be another supporter that would keep these people in the limelight and the show on television. However, once I experienced my first time watching, I was hooked.

Mostly I believe it is because they make such fools of themselves and say and do things that normal people do not. It is so outlandish that the entertainment factor kicks in, because where else would I ever in my life come in contact with such large amounts of tan juice heads? I hate to think that I waste my time watching it, but honestly, reality television has been taking over for some time. Television producers will have to continue to step it up with crazier and crazier shows in order to maintain a shock value. And, whatever they come up with next, I no doubt will end up watching with the rest of the world.

Pop Culture Influencing Comedy Choice

Today in class we discussed types of movies and TV shows that we assumed we would hate until we gave them a chance. Some classmates mentioned Jersey Shore, Seinfeld, and Friends as television shows that they found out they enjoyed after they finally watched them. During this discussion I kept thinking about an instance where the exact opposite happened to me. This did not involve a TV show, or movie, or musical group but rather stand up comedians. I love stand up comics and I used to spend hours watching specials on Comedy Central or Youtube. One comic I used to watch endlessly was Dane Cook.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdv2exhGxU4&feature=related
I thought he was so relative and funny, until something changed my mind. I saw a MadTV sketch where they made fun of Dane Cook and the damage was done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMV4kwbSdw4
In class people mentioned shows they thought they would dislike until they gave it a chance, but in my case I liked something until I saw another form of media that was trashing it. The pop culture references in the MadTV skit showed me another side of Dane Cook and after watching it, I could never take his comedy material seriously anymore. It was hard to watch him and laugh at his jokes instead of his mannerisms and excessive amounts of hair gel.
I realize that many people still think Dane Cook is funny. His multiple roles in romantic comedies have proven that. I just kept thinking about how easily my mind was changed after seeing the Dane Cook parody. It really proves how much popular culture can influence what we think is funny and entertaining, and how quickly our minds can be changed. And unfortunately, how it can even lower the ticket sales for Dane Cook comedy shows by one person.

Culture is active. Popular Culture is distractive.

For me, culture is anything that conveys life and in some way works to change or improve human behavior within the context of society of a whole, even if it’s just by reflecting its ugly truths.

For example, Maus is culture because it reflects an incident in history and by displaying that horrifying incident hopes to warn future generations

against complacency for minorities being exploited, showing ‘this could be you, or your father, or your mother.’ The thematic choice of turning the characters into anthromorphic mice is effective in that it removes more senses of racial, ethnic, or genderized visual based subconscious judgment calls. The cartooning style uses slips under our ‘otherness’ radar and makes the protagonist can be anyone even if the supporting speech bubbles say ‘he’ and ‘jew’.

However, Micky Mouse comics are pop culture because the messages are more based on reaffirming universals instead of trying to improve or change the way of liof life for the society it was generated for.

The basic messages such as ‘don’t lie’ ‘be nice to your friends’ are largely consensual values that it is assumed anyone would want their children knowing. It doesn’t attempt to change the culture or cause a societal shifts or reflection. They are done in this consensual way to draw the largest possible audience because their primary intent is economic, entertainment, and finally artistic. Note that I do not believe that just because something is popular culture instead of ‘culture’, it is not artistic. Oftentimes art is based on the craft itself and has no desire to carry a heavy social justice message.

However, subject matter itself is not the determining factor in whether or not I define something as culture versus popular culture.

For example, the sitcom Hogan’s Heroes and the Japanese

webcomic Hetalia both deal with World War II Nazis extensively. However, both of these are comedies, and the protagonists and antagonists simplified into silly archetypes that make any sort of motivational messages about human behavior lack authority. It is obvious from studying these media texts the intent was to entertain, although with Hogan’s Heroes there was also the commercial interest that kept it so upbeat.

Now, whether or not some seasons of M.A.S.H. are legitimate culture or popular culture is difficult for me to define, with its distinct overarching social message in select episodes and completely lack of commentary in others. Some segments of M.A.S.H. the sitcom do seem to desire to influence the audiences thoughts for a certain social stance on war, which would be cultural movement. On the other hand, it's a lot of silly jokes strung together.

In conclusion, culture leads you to think about the more important questions in life whether it be a classic musical composition that makes you contemplate the existence of a higher being such as a God, or a television show that suddenly kills off a character to illustrate some institutionalized unnecessary social brutality of the past that could happen again without societal vigilance. Culture entertains while stimulating you to consider those issues that are complicated. Popular culture, by contrast, may be artistic, witty, and reflective of the society that generated it, but its main intent is often to make you not think about more difficult questions, priming you to consume for the commercials. The reason why popular culture is important to study is this very non confrontational nature. When left unanalyzed, even those who did not hold the beliefs of some popular culture media texts will walk away assuming 'that's just how it is' for many societal expectations.

Culture as intentionally engaging society and Popular culture as intentionally being there to be passively enjoyed is an imperfect definition, and obviously many things fall in the middle. For example, sensationalistic news certainly has you think about a lot of difficult questions, but it’s motivated by commercials. Webcomics have no official sponsors, but often times use the same hegemonic ideology as a multimillion dollar movie that has to please thousands of sponsors before it can be released (ironically, that director may whine about having cut many challenging ideas in a film to please those sponsors the webcomic artist might have self censored). However, this is the best way I can think to define it without having there be more exceptions than inclusions. In general, this is how I define popular culture and why it's important to study.

Is addiction the right word?

Our class discussion on Thursday revolved around pop culture addictions what we each are addicted to and how do these addictions shape our lives. We used this article as the basis for our discussion. We also defined addiction as physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances. Psychological dependence was defined as you feel emotionally connected to a substance, you allow the substance to get in the way of important things, you plan your schedule around your need for substance, you spend a lot of time talking about the substance. This discussion brought up several questions and thoughts, and I have been pondering over it for the last several days. How do these addictions shape our lives? What role do these addictions play in our society? What would be culture be like without these addictions? Are all relationships with pop culture harmful to the individual?

During the discussion, I was feeling slightly guilty for participating and enjoying some pop culture. Yes, I would agree there are people who take pop culture to the extreme and are addicted to it. But in general, I think addiction might not be the right word to use. In our society, the word addiction has such a negative connotation to it and is viewed as a problem that needs to be fixed. If I do not participate in consuming at least some of our society’s pop culture, it can cause a feel of being an outcast or being a part of an outgroup. I feel like the relationship I have with pop culture is not a problem that needs to be fixed. Pop culture provides me with entertainment and enjoyment and neutral topics to discuss with others. One of my biggest pop culture “addictions” is football especially college football and The Ohio State Buckeyes. Some may see this as a problem that needs to be fixed. My friends and I enjoy watching football together. In my life, it is building community. Maybe addiction isn’t always the right word to be used in association with large amounts of consumption for pop culture. Could obsession, consumption, or devotion be better words to use for this connection to pop culture?

Facebook Addiction

Given our class conversation about facebook, I found this graphic very interesting! You can find the original here. Some things that stand out to me:

* 57% of people talk to people more online than they do in real life!

* 48% of us check facebook first thing in the morning!

* There are 500,000,000 active facebook users. This is 1 in every 13 people on earth!

Welcome!

Welcome to our class blog. The blog will be a place for us to gather virtually, reflect on course content, add our own thoughts and opinions to that content, and post our work. Please check the blog regularly!

Read this article for Thursday and be prepared to talk about your addiction!

http://jezebel.com/5573826/has-a-pop+culture-addiction-ever-taken-over-your-life