Millitainment Inc, Final Media Blog

THESIS

The government plays a huge role in the way that information about the war is communicated to the public.

5 FACTS

1. The Jessica Lynch story was told to the media differently than how it happened

2. The pentagon teams up with TV networks to create mad-for-TV movies on the war

3. The toppling the Sadam Hussain statue was staged by the U.S. military

4. America has created the idea of a “clean war,” on that is short, abstract, and beautiful

5. During a poll of the troops serving in the war in 2006 85% believe the U.S. mission is “to retaliate for Saddam’s role in the 9/11 attacks”

TRIBUNE BRAIN: 3 OBSERVATIONS

1. Reptilian- the video clips are violent and cause the fight or flight reaction

2. Neocortex- the information shared in the video and shocking and causes you to question what we are being told in the media

3. Limbic- the graphic pictures show cause certain emotions to be triggered

3 TRENDS

1. Political Shift- instead of solely being controlled by the TV networks, the military regulates the coverage of the war

2. Aesthetic Shift-the war is being portrayed as beautiful incorporating sunsets and aesthetically pleasing pictures

3. Cultural Shift- the government is controlling what we see in the media

4 PRINCIPLES

1. Emotional Transfer- the networks and Pentagon/military stage events/films in order to convey a certain emotion

2. Production Techniques- the video is produced in such a way that the information is exposed and the clips are explained while viewing the footage

3. “Reality” Construction/Trade-offs- from viewing the video we are taught about the enormous amount of information that is fabricated and it makes it hard to decipher what is real from what is fake

4. Value Messages- what opinions are formed of the military, government, and media through the viewing of this documentary?

6 TOPICS OF PERSUASION

1. Big Lie- the U.S. government builds up support for the war by lying to us about what is really going on

2. Bandwagon- by showing clips of many people at in support of what the U.S. is doing they are hoping that the rest of the country will “jump on the bandwagon”

3. Fear/Defensive Nationalism- When our country is being targeted we are persuaded to stand behind it

4. Testimonial- important people such as news anchors and high ranking military officials go on camera during the clips and feed us information which we presume is true because they are respected individuals

5. Repetition- news stations play the same clips over and over again in order for the information to be committed to memory

6. Either/Or- through the media we the military voiced how they needed to do certain things in the Middle East in order to prevent other, worse things to happen to us

Midterm Reflection

1. After studying media for eight weeks in this class what have you learned?
I have a new understanding of how great of an impact media has in all of our lives, how it can persuade our thinking without us even having any idea that it is happening. I used to think that media was just television and newspapers but there are many different things such as books, the internet, radio, music, and magazines are forms of media.

2. What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself as 1. a critical reader, 2. a writer, 3. a critical thinker in this class so far?
1) I have learned that a lot more knowledge is gained by reading more carefully and reading between the lines.
2) I have learned that using techniques such as the power tools in my writing will make produce stronger and more persuasive pieces.
3) I have learned how to connect different concepts and ideas to better understand the material.

3. What's one thing YOU would do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?
I would focus more on learning the power tools earlier in the semester so that they would commit to memory and be easier to connect to the videos in class.

4. What's one this you would like ME to do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?
To collect the charts that we do during class using the power tools and let us know if we are doing them correctly.

5. Please comment of the usefulness of the course blog, your personal blog, our films, and our book as learning tools.
-Through the course blog we are able to learn through each other by reading everyone’s posts and learn other perspectives on the chapter.
-Through my personal blog I am able to voice my opinion on things and make connections between different forms of media as well as get practice using the power tools.
-Through the films I was able to connect what I learned in the book to real examples.
-The book does a great job of providing useful information in an interesting and very easy to understand way.

I’m Just Stumbling – Media Meditation #2

Starting as early as in September I began hearing some of the guys in my dorm talk about stumbling. At first I was confused thinking they were discussing the difficulty they had walking home after a few too many drinks. After some more explaining I learned that StumbleUpon was a website. Many of the guys seemed to be hooked on it and told me that there were some days where they would spend hours laying in bed stumbling. Immediately I was intrigued, how could something been so entertaining?

After navigating the website for a while and doing some stumbling of my own, I learned more about this new method of procrastination. By signing up and checking boxes regarding personal interests StumbleUpon shows you websites that you would find interesting.

Urban Dictionary defines stumbling as:
“the act of bopping haphazardly around the internet by hitting the ‘stumble’ button on an installed ‘StumbleUpon.com’ toolbar added to your browser--the button will take you to a random site of interest to you (based on preferences you set up before) that you are lead to ‘stumble upon’ because others with similar interests liked it. "Stumbling" the internet is fast becoming an activity as understandable to computer regulars as what simple googling is known to be.
Yeah, ever since Roger downloaded his new SU toolbar, he's off stumbling for hours and tells all his friends googling for fun stuff can't hold a match to the great sites he finds when stumbling.”

YouTube provides "how-to" videos on getting started on StumbleUpon

The Brain
-Limbic: The limbic part of your brain is used to process the pictures and music that StumbleUpon delivers to you. Your emotions come into play by viewing the websites that you find appealing
-Neocortex: Many of the websites that you come across on StumbleUpon contain mind teasers or require some level of thinking. This is where thought and logic are used by way of the Neocortex

8 Shifts
-Technological Shift: By using websites such as StumbleUpon we are relying on technology and the internet to amuse us.
-Personal Shift: Have we really become so lazy and reliant on the internet that we are unable to have fun without it?

7 Principles
-Emotional Transfer: The point of StumbleUpon is to activate our emotions by showing websites that appeal to what we are interested in.
-Pacing: You are able to control the pacing by choosing how long you look at a certain website before choosing to be taken to another one.

29 Techniques of Persuasion
-Flattery: By only showing websites that you are interested it is hard not to like StumbleUpon.
-Bandwagon: All around Champlain College I hear students talking about what they “stumbled upon.”
-Simple Solutions: The website offers such an easy solution to boredom that it is hard not to try it out.
-Humor: Many of the websites that you visit contain funny images, videos, or stories.

Reinventing Alice - Media Meditation #1

As a child, Alice In Wonderland was one of my all time favorite Disney movies so when I first saw the new trailer I was immediately interested. Choosing Tim Burton to team up with Disney to recreate this classic was a match made in heaven. The question is however; with Alice In Wonderland being such a classic, will the new version live up to be as good as its predecessor? The feeling that I got from watching some of the trailers was that it is supposed to be a continuation of the original rather than a complete remake which will include a whole new story line. Embracing the technological Alice In Wonderland will be yet another movie of the new year featured in Imax 3D.

Disney has done an amazing job creating hype about the movie and appealing to people of all ages. The original movie was a classic memory of childhood for over a half a century. Check out the fun and official website from Disney for everything from games to downloads.


IMDB provides a more technical look into the movie along with a message board.


Take a look at the trailers for both the original movie from 1951 and new Alice In Wonderland on YouTube.

It's only the beginning...

ME:

My name is Karly Marin Terrio. I am 18 years old and from Middletown, Connecticut. Before coming to Champlain I attended Mercy High School, an all-girls Catholic school.

FUN MEDIA EXPERIENCE:

Over winter break I came home to find out that my dad had disconnected the internet because my brother and I had gone away to college and no longer needed it. I had to go three weeks without the internet and had to check my facebook via friends' blackberries and iPhones.

PRO AND CON OF 21ST CENTURY MEDIA CULTURE:

I like the fact that our current media culture is so convenient for staying in touch. What I don't like is that because it is so easily accessible that we become dependent on it and do not know what to do when we are disconnected from it.

VISIONS FOR MY FUTURE:

Currently I am not sure how I would envision my future. I am still taking time to explore my options and find out what really appeals to me.

A look at the Dew Tour Competition I watched at Mt. Snow