News, trust, and “truthiness”

Satirical news seems to becoming part of the norm in our society today. Our public sphere is full of comedy and emotion. This should be a place where everyone can express the way we perceive things, without going too far. From reading my classmate’s blogs it is evident they feel the similar way towards the satirical news we are exposed to daily. The likes of the ‘Daily Show’ and ‘Rick Mercer Report’ highlight mainstream stories that make people aware of what is going on through comical entertainment. Highlighting current issues and making the public aware might be the most beneficial thing we get from satirical news.

My fellow blogger Sarah writes, “It is still important to supplement my worldwide knowledge from more trustworthy newspapers…so that I can form my own opinions about world issues” (http://st12tq.wordpress.com/). Sarah feels that it is still important to supplement our knowledge from regular newspapers because it gives a different perspective that allows her to form her own opinion. Finding a good balance is helpful because it exposes the funny side to what the media provide.

Connor says, “satire news shows can actually give a fair representation of the daily events in our national and global society” (http://oconnormedia.wordpress.com/2013/11/), which shows he feels it is equally as reliable as traditional news reportage. I agree with this notion and think it is what a ‘regular’ person might perceive stories as.

Even if it isn’t totally correct, is it useful? Kevin feels it is, “I believe that it is better to learn something rather than nothing, so i would say that the satirical news will be useful for the public” (http://kevinshen94.wordpress.com/). This is an interesting view but I like what he is saying. Even if it isn’t 100% reliable, it gives someone the opportunity to learn something and laugh at the same time.

Satirical news has proved to be equally as reliable compared to traditional news reportage in some sense. My classmate’s share the similar view to me that even though not totally correct, it can be useful in our learning. The public sphere is packed with this culture jamming, but is helpful to use in many cases.

Is the fake news the real news?

Satirical news has never hit home so close than these recent times. Rob Ford has helped shape what’s included in the late night Jimmy Kimmel, The Daily, and Saturday Night Live shows in the past few weeks. This appropriate example of mainstream culture jamming has been informing the global cinema on what has been occurring in Toronto recently, served with a taste of humour. Defined as, “the mode of resistance to the norms and conventions of mass culture that exposes and opposes the media’s underlying power structures and ideological messages” (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, pg 213), culture jamming is portrayed through the many late night shows covering political/social issues on late night television.

 These shows such as the Rick Mercer Report put an interesting and often funny spin on issues some find controversial or disheartening. This form of entertainment helps to ease the tension on various matters and attempt to enlighten the audience. Even though O’Shaughnessy & Stadler (2008) state that, “the use of controversy and humor can serve to focus attention on the ad, not the issue, or it can trivialise the issue” (pg. 224), I feel satirical news is amusing and necessary to perceive things in the new age. As the authors from Media & Society state it can affect the issue from an authentic sense, it also allows people to consider a different perspective then the norm. There is some value to satirical news and the public sphere I feel, as stated, because consumers are offered a fictional twist to what is really occurring in our societal issues.

 The younger generations view these ‘news’ shows as forms of entertainment and have become more desensitized to formal issues that are continually displayed through culture jamming in the media. Culture jamming will show a presence in the mainstream media if we like it or not, we might as well enjoy the late night shows as much as possible. Providing the opportunity for people to enjoy real new casts and fictional news reports is what really counts. Satirical news is definitely not fit to substitute real-time news…yet. Keeping the balance of both forms is what will prove beneficial to consumers so one does not become too gullible. 

Demonstrable Demographics

It is quite clear from looking over several of my classmate’s blogs that similarities arise from last weeks posting. Many of the ads from my fellow bloggers show cosmetic products, hygienic products, and clothing products. The few that I chose to take something away from focused on Axe, Gillette, and Old Spice. The similarities that are shown between these ads represent what marketers focus on for young males aged 16-25.

 Cameron talks about how these ads are inaccurate to what men actually want and this ad, “call out to a specific audience and forces all those who do not fit into that group to think in terms of that group during the ad” (http://hecticglow.blogspot.ca/). Cameron is stating that the media is hailing the groups that do not ‘fit’ into the category Axe is targeting, trying to convince them this body spray will get them attractive females. Axe commercials continually show men getting bombarded by hot women after some of their product is sprayed over them, and a lot of guys are saying this is inaccurate to what we want.

 Another similarity I came across when reading was that of ‘gender identity’. Adam says in his blog, “the male model ‘identity’ represents what the average Joe would want to feel like after using the product” (http://at12nk.wordpress.com/). The Old Spice commercial he used for his blog shows us that after using the product, one becomes a regular guy and smelling perfect for a female companion. Our demographic is being represented in the media as sex fiends who only think about what a woman might think.

 The third blog I chose to use was that of the Big Turk’s. For his ad he used Gillette multi razor, which was similar to mine. He talks about the celebrity status of Kate Upton and how Gillette used her to catch the young males eye, “the commercial also uses famous Kate Upton, which definitely will grab any heterosexual male’s attention” (http://turkelsimon.wordpress.com/). This shows that they are continually throwing hot celebrity women into men’s product commercials because they feel that’s all we focus on and are interested in.

 I feel as though my classmates had similar views on the way media hails and interpellates through advertisements. My demographic of young male seems to be represented in a negative way to what we really want. The similarities between how we process what the media portrays us as are quite evident. 

What the Hail?

                                              

Reference: http://www.gillette.com/en/ca/Products/Razors/gillette-trimmer/trimmer.aspx

The ad I chose for our blog this week was Gillette’s newest Fusion ProGlide Styler beard trimmer. The advertisements from Gillette help to inform me on the latest razor or trimmer on the market, and often influence my decision to purchase their product. The Fuison ProGlide allows you to ‘trim, shave and edge’ all in one with. This type of product is targeted toward young male adults (18-30) who need to groom their facial hair, which is the category I fall under. Gillette does a good job marketing through television adverts because they often include professional athletes like Tiger Woods or Roger Federer. These types of ads help me connect with the product and share similar norms of being an athlete.

 The strategy Gillette has is that we can connect to what the company stands for the minute we see their branding. “The best a man can get” is known to as Gillette’s modo during any commercial or visual advertising. It allows me to connect with the values they are instilling by keeping well groomed and being happy as a young adult male.

 The text states that, “Hailing has the effect of putting us in our place or positioning the addressee in relation to the addresser” (Stadler & O’Shaughnessy, chapter 12, pg. 185). In relation to the advert I chose seeing this beard trimmer/razor I felt as though I wanted to use the product instantly. The athletes in the television commercials help to serve as the addresser and for me to serve as the addressee. I feel a sense of ease and enjoyment when I see a new improved razor I can use from Gillette. Through their brand marketing and product advertising they have successfully kept me returning as a consumer of their products.

 Another quote from Stadler and O’Shaughnessy that I found to be interesting was, “Gender is central to identity and gender socialization is one of the earliest processes of interpellation” (Chapter 12, pg. 185). This quote seems pretty real to me and I feel as though we are very separated through gender socialization, males and females, and what we like is central to our identity. Males and females both have very different likes and dislikes, and men can connect with facial hair trimming products quite easily. It always helps when someone influential helps push the product from an organization to specific consumers in a target market.

The media we want?

We as consumers and society want the media we get. Media producers, owners and business managers stay in tune with what audiences want to see to and they gain profits from. These groups focus on society’s needs and what connections can be made through media output. Stadler and O’Shaughnessy (chapter 3, pg. 38) claim, “audiences influence, if not control, media output through their choices of what media products to consume”. Stating that we have influence on the output of media clearly shows the connection producers have to make even if they have contradictory feelings. With this small group of elite people being able to analyze what we as consumers want and products we consume they are also able to control our level of satisfaction.

 Chapter three of the text also discusses the acronym SEARCH and how it affects the way managers search for conventional views of the world. This acronym stands for the words Sex, Environment, Race, Class, and Handicap and helps people understand how people are socially represented or categorized. We let the media control what we feel is valuable and meaningful to believe in, “The media construct our values for us and have a direct effect on our actions” (Stadler & O’ Shaughnessy, chapter 3, page 43). We let the media feed us with things that some feel is controversial and is inconsistent to our norms. Media might affect the way we think and what we think is important. This has helped over the years how media has grown and become a very regular thing for you and I. Being able to see events occurring around the country or globe from your couch makes you very excited and satisfied.

 Media producers are able to give the consumer what they want to read and hear about. We as consumers continue to feed on and stay interested in what we see through social media. These small elite groups of producers and managers control what we are exposed to through feedback and research. Through the products we in society consume we are able to influence media. It seems we don’t even know what we want with some of the things that are focused on in the media these days.