FoTV

the Future of TV

I believe that the future of the TV will not actually include the actual television set. Since the rise of the internet more and more content has been put online. Within the next couple decades we could see the rise of totally online tv networks. TV will also play to more niche markets. We have seen the rise of niche cable networks like the Food Channel, HGTV, Style, History, or Logo. All of these networks cater to a more specific audience than the Big Networks do, and even some cable networks like TBS who cater to a more general audience.

I also believe that we will see more uncensored programing. As American attitudes shift, so does what we can say and show on TV because rules and laws must change with the attitudes of the citizens. We've seen this with the 'b' word being allowed on television in the 90s and being quite prevalent in the 00's. A more recent example of this is the 's' word being uncensored more and more on cable networks and soon that will trickle down to the broadcast level.

Another reason there will be less censored words and depictions such as nudity, is because more content will be going online, where there are no laws or rules, a person can show whatever he or she wants as long as its not so obscene it's illegal. HBO and other premium channels also show and say more than broadcast networks, and even cable networks do. We might also see a rise in these, as new networks being made online and on tv could be a premium type network.

We have also seen a rise in on-demand and DVR services. It's clear that more and more people want to be able to watch what they want anytime they want, and so product placement advertising might become even more commonplace than it is now because the traditional advertisement could be rendered useless (with DVRs) or not as effective (On-demand services show limited advertising)

It's clear that tv is at the beginning of its most dramatic change since it was actually invented. The traditional TV set will most likely go by the wayside as tv and personal computer technologies merge. This could be as simple as tv technology being worked in to computers or a new hybrid television/computer technology that humans haven't made yet.

Blog Seven

One of the things that I have learned this semester in media lit, and I think is very important, is that almost nothing that you see in an ad is an accident. It is usually put there because of a conscious decision or unconscious actions. Consider this recent advertisement by progressive:
At first glance, this would seem like a man and his buddy who made a deal, but on second thought, who brings their friend to buy insurance? This commercial may deliberately make the two men look like just friends to a more conservative audience, while to a more liberal set it may look like husbands, that way it causes minimal controversy and keeps both groups happy. Even on the page that the video is pulled from on Youtube there is questions as to whether they are a SS couple, and I've been to other media content websites that question it.
I believe that it is probably not a coincidence that they seem like a couple, but just enough so that it might fly over the heads of conservatives. It seems progressive may me more progressive than we know.

effectiveness of product placement

i believe that product placement is a very sneaky and effective form of advertising. I am fully aware that product placement happens, i can spot them for a mile, like an Ugly Betty episode when a character pulls open a drawer to get lunch...only to have the drawer be filled full with Healthy Choice entrées. While this specific product might not have been targeted at me (i didnt go running for the nearest supermarket to get healthy choice), it does affect me if I see one of my favorite characters drinking a coke. I know what the advertisers are trying to do but after seeing it i REALLY want a coke. its not something that people consciously think about, they've been influenced by their character of choice, and its on their mind until they buy it, and for that reason it is very effective.
*brought to you buy Healthy Choice, learn more at the Healthy Choice Website*

online ads

facebook ad for Rent
online ads are, if anything, even more targeted to a specific target group than many other types of ads. the reason for this is twofold. first is that the internet is a niche market, sure there are some websites that millions of people go to, but for the most part most sites are targeted toward a certain niche, and therefor ads can be targeted by who visits that website, or even just knowing a certain groups viewing practices online. the second reason that online ads are very targeted is that we give out information online. much of it. we fill out forms saying what our age is, what is our gender, our race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, all of it. we also leave IP addresses wherever we go and cookies are attached to allow websites to remember us and also load faster.
when on facebook, for example, i see ads targeted toward university-student aged people, sometimes gamers (I dont really know why, i dont express interest in gaming...maybe an assumption because i am a teenage boy?), and LGBT products or services.
Print and TV ads have to assume, in most cases, that while they can try to target a certain audience, that there are others watching or reading, and so they must try to at least appeal to a little bit, whereas online ads only have to appeal to the one group.
I am not sure as to weather they are more or less effective, but i do think that they are effective. everytime we go to a certain website we will see this ad, and if it catches our attention, its only one click away, which is why there are those annoying audio 'congradulations you have won and iPod nano!' ads. but someone could see that ad, click on the link and instantly be signed up for that product/service, everthings at the click of the mouse (or trackpad).

i stand corrected

as of 2nd march i have created a personal blog on this site. CLICK HERE to head over to i stand corrected. look around and comment!! for future reference, the link to i stand corrected is in Barackisms link section: all you need, really
-kyle

media impact on gender stereotypes

The dreaded advertisement break. I don't hate it because it breaks me away from a show (that's just a small annoyance), but I do hate adverts because they perpetrate some of the worst gender stereotypes that I have ever seen outside of the views of ignorant individuals. It's mostly adverts for cleaning products or other products geared specifically toward one gender or the other, like "mens'" shampoo. Frankly I don't see why men and women need separate shampoo, apparently because "womens'" shampoo fragrances are too feminine. In reality its the same exact shampoo with just a different scent, and usually not as good smelling either. But men who put on this shampoo will get all the girls roaming after them in the streets (ego much?).

But it's not only advertisements that are full of stereotypes, they are just the most overt. TV shows are often full of stereotypes from the housewife to the effeminate gay man to the criminal black gangster. And while these characters are not one-dimensional like their advertisement counterparts, they have problems and they try to solve them during the course of an episode and we can see more than just their stereotyping image.

Because the media is so full of stereotypical images, and we are a nation full of major TV consumers, children, teens, and even adults often try to portray themselves how they see people in their group are on TV.

At school for instance girls are seen at being better at english and social studies while boys are better at science and maths (though experience has shown me that girls are often much better then boys at...well basically all of the subjects :P). Jocks might often dumb themselves down in order to portray the sporty image (one of my friends has often talked to me about a friend of theirs that has dumbed themselves down in class).

In politics we punish those who stand up for their political beliefs, like candidates who stand against the death penalty by saying that they wouldn't want somebody who raped their wife subject to it (that question seems very personal and out of order anyway), and that reinforces the image that men with wives or husbands should be so overprotective of their partner that they go mad with murderous rage like an ape. If a woman cries in politics, like Hillary clinton during the 2008 primaries, she's seen as strong for being able to show her emotions, while if a man were to do it, while there wouldn't be calls of "he's weak!" we've at least moved beyond that point, he wouldn't be seen as a stronger man for it, the media, and society wants male politicians to tote their guns. Yeah! You put your finger on the button to release that nuclear bomb and you show those dirty terrorists!

The Media controls how we interact with eachother everyday and it almost never leads to a better society, it leads to more problems with how people relate to eachother. The media has to be conscious of the images it is showing and try to show more strong, positive minorities so that people, especially minorities, have a positive model to try to follow instead of the negative stereotypes that are often shown.

Weeds

*note* I change all of the post times to central standard in the Post Options area of every new post, so the time 9:37 really IS 9:37

My First choice for a telly show for the third media lit blog would have been Shameless by Paul Abbott.  Unfortunately Shameless is an import from Channel 4 in the UK.  Even though American and British values overlap in many ways they are not perfectly the same, and in the end I thought that the project definitely called for an American show.  That limits my selection a bit.  I don't watch much American TV as censorship deeply perturbs me.  Because of this I'm limited to the channels IFC, Sundance, or any premium movie channel, so I decided to go with the hit Showtime programme Weeds.

Weeds is a show whose main character, Nancy Botwin, a widowed suburban California mother who struggles to keep up monetarily with the lifestyle that she has had since before the death of husband.  In order to pay the bills and keep her family satisfied she turns to dealing weed (street weed, as selling to the California government would be legal as California has medical marijuana).  This illustrates the american value of having material comfort.  In order to keep up with her neighbours-conformity-, while also providing the newest and best for her children Silas and Shane and her brother in law Andy, such as a car for Silas or cable to keep Silas-and Andy (PPV anyone?)-occupied.  If she didn't have a steady flow of income-even from an illegal source-, Nancy would be seen somewhat as a failure in her slice of suburbia. 

In order to provide all of these amenities to her family Nancy is very active in her work, she deals to all of the suburbanites who like to keep it secret, as well as expanding to colleges and other areas, even making a cover business for her dealings.  Nancy is quite the entrepreneur, even having paid workers like Sanjay under her.  If one value is shown the most during the show, it's Activity and Work, and similarly to this her work leads to Achievement and success.

The show also takes on the value of freedom.  In one case it's that Nancy is showing freedom and individualism by creating her own business, albeit an illegal business.  The show also tackles freedom of speech, in such issues as a student protesting Bush's Iraq war, and when non-religious jew Andy Botwin decided to capitalize on the success of Passion of the Christ by making a T-shirt with the crucifixion and the words Christ died for your sins, only the shirt had a typo and it ended up being Chris died for your sins.  Later, when the younger Botwin son Shane wore the shirt to school the principal and the PTA made a huge deal of the "anti-christian" label on the shirt, which shows Conformity again, yet in a caustic way, criticizing hypocritical fundamentalists, who also try, during the course of the series, to fire a gay gym teacher, which of course they fail at, and open-mindedness prevails. 

The last thing the show illustrates  is youthfulness.  Most of the characters are young or youngish and beautiful.  As well as illustrating the physical youthfulness, it also shows the mental traits.  In one episode when Nancy catches Silas and his girlfriend having sex she doesn't go all afterschool special on them, she merely made sure they were sufficiently educated on safe-sex and talking to Silas' girlfriend about her feeling, because she can't control whether or not they have sex, which is a very modern and young outlook.

Weeds is a boundary-pushing show that is geared toward a more liberal audience, and while the main storyline is something that is definitely, at this time, illegal, it still is a very positive show that tries to instill in its audience all of the positive values of America.