Comm 403 Blog 7-Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud

     Although the term psychoanalysis may lead some to think about the field of psychology, it is important to understand that psychoanalysis deals with the field of communication as well, specifically media studies.  Psychoanalysis began with Sigmund Freud in the late 1800s and spawned similar theories from other psychologists like Carl Jung.  In its most basic sense, psychoanalysis is a way to study mental and psychic properties that cannot be studied in other ways.  According to this theory, the psyche influences a person's ideas, actions, and personality and it made up of three things, the id, the ego, and the superego.  The id is a person's basic desires and drives and the superego is a person's high morals standards and values.  The ego balances the id and superego.  This is relevant to media studies because it is important to be able to read different texts, or acts of communications, through a psychoanalytical standpoint.  One article, Not Enough Graduates Know About Freudian Subtext in 'Alien 3', Say Employers, satirizes the idea of applying psychoanalysis to media studies.

     This article jokingly discusses the importance, or lack there of, of psychoanalysis in media studies.  The article begins by stating that not enough students are studying media studies and that the United Kingdom is falling between in the number of students choosing to study media studies.  However, the article satirizes the importance of psychoanalysis and being able to apply it to different forms of media, such as movies.  Basically, it tries to expose the ridiculousness and uselessness of being able to apply this theory to media.  The article even interviewed a media studies student who agreed that understanding psychoanalysis in this way will in no way assist in him becoming employed anywhere but Starbucks after college.
     Although this article is completely over the top and does a good job at making it's point, I believe that psychoanalysis does have a place in media studies and is important.  Like the article states, it is unlikely that someone will want to know about the sexism in Pacman simply "because it's really interesting".  However, I believe it is important to understand psychoanalysis to better understand society and its values and ideals.  One may not be able to make a complete career out of it, but with an understanding of psychoanalysis, one can do the best at his or her job.  For example, a job in advertising could benefit from the understanding of psychoanalysis by better targeting its audience.  Overall, the article does make a good point that psychoanalysis can seem silly and obsolete, but it does have a place in media studies. 
   

Comm 403 Blog 6-Social Subjectivity

     After living in a society for many years, have  you ever stopped to really consider the kind and amount of effect the society has had on you?  For example, what aspects of your life are dictated by society's ideals and values.  On the other hand, do you live your life without society having any influence on you at all?  Furthermore, is living a life totally unaffected by society even a remote possibility?  One aspect of the effect of society on individuals is called social subjectivity.  Specifically, social subjectivity refers to an individual's personal thoughts and mental processes and the effect that a society has had on those thoughts.  One of the most common examples of social subjectivity deals with gender.  For instance, in today's United States society, so many electronic voices are female, including GPS systems and a new application released by the iPhone 4S called Siri.  Siri is an application that allows users to speak directly into the phone to add appointments, search the internet, and other operations that would generally have to be typed in using a keyboard.  One article entitled

"Why Computer Voices Are Mostly Female" seeks to understand the social subjectivity in the gender selection of computer voices.  To begin, this article discusses the issue of biology.  It has been theorized that individuals are biology predetermined to find female voices more soothing and attracting, which may even be evident before birth.  Thus, because it is easier to find a female voice that most people will respond positively to, it makes sense to use a female voice in a computerized voice-interaction.  Another theory deals with history.  Since many telephone operators and flight attendants have been female throughout history, most people are used to receiving instructions from a female voice.  Also, research suggests that individuals prefer female voices over male voices and so GPS makers generally set a female voice as the default.  However, this does not run true in all countries.  For example, in Germany man prefer a male voice to give them directions and refuse to take directions from a female voice.
     So, are Siri and other electronic voice devices justified in using a female voice or are they just simply sexist?  The company that produced Siri and many other companies do extensive research before releasing a final product.  Also, although Siri does not give other voice options, many other computerized voice devices do give users many voice options, but the female voice is generally the default.  It is difficult to call these companies sexist because they are simply perpetuating the social subjectivity of gender.  Basically, they are giving the customers what they want, which is an attractive female voice to listen to.  The social subjectivity and stereotypes that already exist in society prompt companies to follow them to give the best product to the customers and make the most money.  Although companies may be perpetuating stereotypes, they are doing the best job of releasing the best products.     

Comm 403 Blog 5-Three Act Structure

   Aristotle's three act structure of narrative is still popular today.  To fully understand this three act structure, it is important to understand the meaning of a narrative.  A narrative is any story that follows events with some sort of frame of time.  Time is the most important part of a narrative because without a sense of time, it simply does not fit into the narrative format.  Almost all movies, books, television shows, and many other forms of media are considered to be narratives.  Thus, they generally follow Aristotle's three act structure.  According to Aristotle, the first act includes the character or characters getting into some sort of trouble.  Then, the second act involves the same character or characters getting into even more trouble, that it is difficult to see a resolution or way they will get out of trouble.  The final act involves the character or characters finding a way to resolve their conflicts.  Because most movies follow this three act structure, it can be demonstrated by breaking down most movies.  So, lets break down the three act structure of the movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic.

     In the first act of the movie, the main character, Rebecca Bloomwood, is hired to be a writer of a magazine entitled Successful Savings.  Although her columns are incredibly popular, she cannot seem to follow her own advice about saving money.  She is a complete shopaholic and continues to get in more and more debt.  After several failed attempts of her debt collector contacting her, she finally decides to attend shopaholic meetings to try to remedy her problem.

     In the second act of the movie, it appears as if she may be able to save herself from her problem by going to the shopaholic meetings, but things turn even worse than being in mounds and mounds of debt.  After a few shopaholic meetings, Rebecca is forced to start selling the items that she just purchased, including her bridesmaid dress for her best friend's wedding and an expensive dress she wanted to wear during a television interview.  She immediately tries to buy her dresses back, but can only afford to purchase one.  So, since the interview is first, she decides to buy that dress back and count on the fact that no one else will purchase her bridesmaid's dress until she obtains enough money for it.  However, she is wrong.  Not only is her bridesmaid dress purchased by an old homeless woman, she is also exposed on national television by her debt collector and loses her job.  Next, her friend realizes that a homeless woman is walking around in Rebecca's bridesmaid dress and does not want anything to do with her anymore.

     Although Rebecca seems like she is in too much trouble to ever recover, act three gives her an option to get out of trouble.  First, Rebecca is offered a job at a new magazine, but she decides to decline.  Next, Rebecca auctions off many of her clothes so she can afford to pay off her debts.  Also, she is able to recover the bridesmaid dress and attend her best friend's wedding, who forgives her.  Finally, her old boss starts a new company, and she starts dating him and working at his new company.  

     Overall, Aristotle's three act structure can be applied to almost any narrative.  The structure is simple; the narrative starts with a character in trouble, it gets worse, and then the conflict is resolved by the end.  This is the structure that is expected and is continued to be told.

Comm 403 Blog 2-The Semiotics of a Road

     Semiotics, at its most basic level, is a study of communication that deals with signs and codes.  Anything and everything can be considered to be a sign, which includes signifiers and signifieds.  A sign is anything that symbolizes or represents something else.  A signifier is something that has a material or physical existence in the world while a signified is the value that is attached to a sign and there can be more than one per sign.  On a higher level, a sign has a denotative and connotative meaning.  The denotative meaning deals with a physical description of a sign and the connotative meaning deals with anything associated with the sign that can not be defined by its description or, more simply, its meaning in everyday life.  Because examining the semiotics of anything can be interesting and important to understand communication better, the examination of the semiotics of a road is a simple way to break down semiotics.

      In a very general, denotative sense, the road depicted in this picture is dark gray or black with a yellow line down the middle. (This road is not considered a signifier because it has no physical sense in the picture.  Although where the road actually exists, it would be considered a signifier.) To the direct right side of the yellow line, a broken yellow line can be observed.  On either side of the road, close to the the edge, a white line exists.  With no additional knowledge, these signs mean absolutely nothing.  However, to pass a driving test and legally be able to drive, one must understand the signified or connotative meanings of the lines in the road.  To begin, it is important to understand that a road automatically connotes that one should be driving to the right of the yellow line.  That way, cars in the other lane to the left will be traveling the opposite direction.  There are exceptions to this rule though.  For example, in the picture the broken yellow line signifies that one can legally pass another car by going into the other lane if that car is going at least ten miles under the speed limit.  Alone, a broken yellow line does not mean this, but society has given that meaning to it.  In addition, a white line at the edge of road indicates not to pass over it because the road ends there.  However, if the white line was down the middle of the road, it would connote that both sides of traffic are traveling in the same direction and it is acceptable to pass any cars not going the speed limit by traveling around them.

     Overall, a road can be a simple breakdown of semiotics.  There are many other examples of signs on the road, including stop lights, stop signs, and speed limit signs.  Each of these things have a denotative meaning that is a simple description of the sign.  On an everyday, connotative level, though, meaning has been given to these signs by a society.  This is the level that individuals live at.  Pictures, ads, and other things can all be broken down into simpler understandings.  

Comm 403 Blog 4-Framing

     As discussed in George Lakoff's article, Framing 101: How to Take Back Public Discourse, Lakoff discusses the important concept of framing and the ways in which it continually affects everyday life, specifically politics.  In its most basic definition, framing is an image or any other thought brought about by a particular word.  Any word can and will evoke framing.  The example Lakoff uses is the phrase, "Don't think of an elephant!"  However, it is impossible to not think about an elephant after it is brought up, even if you are not supposed to.  The mental image of an elephant or any other knowledge about an elephant will creep into your mind, even if just for a brief moment, once one hears the word.  Thus, it becomes extremely important in politics because word choice and framing can be used to enhance one's self or hurt another.  

     Another article, written by LZ Granderson, gives a very relevant example of framing in politics today.  The Republican Party used framing, which Granderson believes them to be extremely good at, to make many people believe the first stimulus package was a complete failure, when, in reality, it was not.  Although it may not have accomplished everything it set out to, many of the benefits of the stimulus package have either been ignored or have not happened yet, as predicted.  However, the Republican Party has done such a good job at framing the word stimulus into having such a negative connotation, that the president tends to not use the word "stimulus" to describe his next stimulus package, as to not discourage individuals from supporting it.    

     Unfortunately, political systems are not perfect and many examples of framing can be seen throughout history.  All sides are guilty of framing at some point.  It may be unethical, but it is a rather good strategy to gain support for oneself and, maybe even more importantly, lose support for another.  An excellent example of framing in politics is the response to Septemeber 11, 2001.  The Bush Administration immediately called these attacks terrorists attacks and declared a "War on Terror".  The country as a whole was already at a vulnerable place and using the word terror played on that vulnerability.  Not being for the War on Terror means being against fighting terrorists, a place that most people just did not want to be at even if they did not fully support the war.  This led to many people supporting attacking a country that did not even commit the terrorist attacks.  Because framing may very well always be part of the political system, it is important to recognize it and therefore hopefully be less affected by it.

Comm 403 Blog 3-Semiotic Analysis of a Cultural Symbol

Purses are everywhere!  It is almost impossible to go anywhere and not see at least one woman with a purse.  They come in all different colors, sizes, and shapes.  What started out as a place to keep items like wallets, keys, and other small on-the-go items, has turned into a complete fashion statement for many women.  So let's examine the semiotics, including the denotative, connotative, and mythological significance of a purse, specifically a Coach purse.  
     On a denotative level, specifically a simple physical description of the an item, this bag is beige with brown "C"s around the entire outside of the bag.  The bag appears sturdy enough to stand up on its own and is shaped like a rectangle.  Additionally, the straps of the bag stick up by themselves on the middle top of the bag and appear shiny.  Also, a small, decorative rectangle hangs from the strap of the bag.  A pocket can be seen on the left-hand side of the bag.  Although this is a nice visual of this Coach bag, it says so much more than just on a denotative level.
     A more abstract, cultural interpretation of the bag, or the connotation, tells that it is a Coach bag in the first place.  From the picture, the word Coach does not appear.  Moreover, the letter C alone does not only represent Coach.  However, the "C"s connote that this is a specific brand, Coach, because of the font used and the fact that they are covering a purse and the positions of the "C"s on it.  Furthermore, the "C"s tell that this bag is of high-class.  There is no price tag on the picture, but culturally, we can determine that this bag was expensive.  When one buys a Coach bag, he or she is paying for the prestigious name, not the amount of reliability, the labor put into it, or the materials used. 

     Finally, on a even deeper interpretation of this bag, there are more than one mythical significances.  To begin, our culture has define that purses should only be used by women.  More specifically, Coach bags are extremely feminine, maybe even more so than other brands of bags.  Generally, the only way a man is going to purchase a Coach purse is to buy a present for a female.  This, however, does not really make sense.  First, men cannot show their prestige with a bag; they are left to do it in other ways.  Also, although some women may carry more items with them than men, men carry wallets, keys, and other items too.  For example, a woman could place her sunglasses in her bag (and may even be asked to place her significant other's sunglasses in her bag!) while a man is left to either keep them at home or in a car or put them on the top of his head.  A man could reap the same benefits from carrying a purse, but would be looked down upon in our society.  Another mythical significance of  the Coach bag is the idea of prestige and class.  Carrying a Coach bag means that you may be wealthy or at the very least have a lot of class.  In our society, wealth, class, and prestige are so very important.  That is simply the ideal.  A Coach bag is just one way to show you may have reached such status.  Overall, on a denotative level a Coach purse is just another purse, society has placed connotative and mythical meanings to this brand of bag.   

Semiotics in a 1949 Salem Cigarette Ad

This Salem Cigarette Ad attempts to encourage all people to smoke Salem cigarettes.  The use of semiotics, including signs, signifiers, and signifieds, is present throughout the entire commercial.  The biggest sign in the commercial is the Salem cigarettes.  This is the item that the ad is trying to sell so it is important to use this as a sign.  An example of a signifier would be the doctor.  Another example would be the women who smokes a cigarette and smiles towards the end of the commercial.  The signified is what the doctor represents. He represents power, wealth, prestige, and intelligence.  The advertiser clearly wants individuals to identify with the doctor and strive to be like him.  A doctor has an important reputation and the fact that all doctors prefer Salem cigarettes hopes to encourage other people to smoke Salem cigarettes as well.  In addition, the women represents sexiness and beauty.  The advertiser tries to convey that smoking Salem cigarettes will make women be like her and make men have women like her.  Overall, semiotics plays an important role in this Salem ad.

Relay for Life Project

     For the final in my Advertising and Imagery class, we were split into four groups: Video, Audio, PR, and Print, and asked to produce a campaign for next year's Relay for Life at Shepherd University.  This included coming up with three separate themes and slogans.  Those themes are, pirate theme, super hero theme, and Rockin' Relay theme.  Then, the individual groups went to work, thinking of useful ways to promote each theme appropriately.  I was placed in the PR group.  In other words, it was my group's job to think of advertising techniques and promotional and fundraising events involving each theme.  Overall, the PR group successfully came up with several entertaining events for each theme.  For example, a treasure hunt activity for the pirate theme, silly string shooting contest for the super hero theme, and a 50's hair contest for the Rockin' Relay theme.
    Although many fun and interesting things can be done with each theme, the main purpose of each group was to effectively get the campus and community involved in such a good cause.  PSA's, or Public Service Advertisements  are excellent ways to do this.  One article titled Public Service Advertising explains that PSA's are designed to encourage the members of a community to take positive actions to better the community.  According to the article, the mass media is the best way to get this done.  Although the PR group did not deal much with the mass media directly, its the mass media's job to get the word out to the community about the Relay for Life events.  This can be done through the other groups, Print, Video, and Audio.  Also, many of the advertising techniques will have to be done through the mass media.
     Overall, I do believe that the work the PR group put forth can be very helpful for next year's Relay for Life.  All of the events and advertising strategies are feasible and do not require an excessive amount of effort.  The biggest change I would try to make would be to motivate myself and the other members of the group more.  Although everyone had great ideas and had the potential to work well together, some lacked motivation and/or desire.  However, I do believe that the work we did is excellent and hopefully will be helpful for next year's Relay for Life.  

Dove Campaign for Real Beauty

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is an attempt to question society's beliefs about beauty.  With so many different images thrown at individuals today, it is easy to forget that no one actually looks like so many ads portray.  However, Dove decided to try to improve women's overall self esteem and self image being using ads that show a portrayal of more realistic looking women.  They did this by using women of different ages, races, sizes, and body types.  These ads encourage women to embrace and celebrate themselves, without buying into using different products to make them look a certain way.  Dove suggests that all women are beautiful, just the way they are.
I really am supportive of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.  Although there is some controversy surrounding these ads and Dove may just be promoting "real beauty" for the financial benefits, I believe it could potentially be a successful way to improve society's opinions about women.  For me, it does not matter the reasons behind the campaign; the results are more important.  Below is an example of one ad released by Dove. 

In this ad, the smile of the face of the women is a sign.  The smile is the signifier while it signifies happiness and comfortableness.  A smile is universal and also signifies a sense of welcome and content.  Overall, this ad sends a very powerful message to viewers.  Even though the women is somewhat older, she is still beautiful.  Dove advocates that it is not anti-age, but pro-age.

Semiotics! Ad Breakdown



Absolut Vodka Ad in Las Vegas

The ad shown is by a popular vodka company, Absolut Vodka.  In this ad, semiotics, or the study of signs and meanings, plays a major role.  To begin, there are many signs present in this ad.  Each of these signs has a signifier, or the actual item having meaning, and a signified, or the meaning of the sign.  One example of a sign is the pharoah statue at the front of the pyramid.  The signifier is the pharoah statue itself.  The signified is the meaning behind the statue.  Pharoahs are seen as powerful, mysterious, God-like, and ancient creatures.  They are also intriguing and interesting.  Another sign in this ad is the replica Washington Monument.  The signifier is the monument while the signified is the representation of power, prestige, and wealth.  A third sign is the words "absolut world".  The signifier is "absolut world".  On the other hand, the signified is the representation of "absolut world".  Absolute world indicates a world where everything is perfect, full, and all including and encompassing.  Or, this could also indicate a unified world.  In addition, the color of the pyramid is a sign.  The black, glossy color of the pyramid is the signifier while its representation is the signified.  The color black represents mystery, privilege, class, and prestige.  Finally, the material that the pharaoh is a sign.  This stone material is the signifier while the signified is the representation of wealth, power, and strength.  Overall, there are many more signs in this ad.  Everything can be seen as a signifier with meaning behind it.

Changes to the Gotcha! Ad Campaign

Girl Phone Ad

Unisex Phone Ad

Boy Phone Ad 

 For the Gotcha! ad campaign, my partner, Hannah,  and I tried to capture the uniqueness and style of the targeted age group, tweens or ages 9-12.  Using vibrant colors and interesting pictures and fonts were some of the strategies we used to try to capture this.  We tried to keep as much consistency as we could.  However, there is always room for improvement.  Out of the three ads shown here, the one that is in need of the most improvement is the boy's ad.  I personally think the unisex ad is the strongest and the girl's ad comes in second.
To begin, the boy's ad can be improved by using a brighter, more interesting background.  The other two ads have very definite and noticeable backgrounds, while the boy's ad is simply white and blue.  In addition, the picture can be improved.  It is a very interesting action shot of a quarterback handing off the ball to a running back.  First, the pictures in the ad campaign need to have some sort of cohesiveness.  Because I like the idea of black and white pictures, especially with bright, vibrant backgrounds, the picture should be in black and white, similar to the girl's ad.  It may also be a good idea to use a picture that is more silhouetted, like the three girls in the girl's ad or the hands in the unisex ad.  Overall, the ad campaign is somewhat consistent, but could definitely use some work, specifically the boy's ad.    

Gender in Music Videos

After watching the video in class yesterday about women's sexuality and roles in music videos, I immediately remembered a popular music video from several years ago, Bootylicious by Destiny's Child. This video portrays three females who present themselves as too much for a male to handle.  Apparently, their bodies and sexualities are just too much for any male.  Throughout this video told from the female perspective, the females dance sexually while wearing revealing clothing.  However, it is unusual that the males in the video are also portrayed wearing little clothing and dancing sexually.  Overall, the women seem to be trying to empower themselves by having a dominant and independent role.  They actually try to use their sexuality to their advantage and to take control.  On the other hand, it can be suggested that by exposing themselves, the women are actually losing any control or power.  Basically, this video is different than many others discussed in the class video.  Instead of the women being submissive and willing sex machines, the men are portrayed dancing sexually and the women try to gain power and control.  Enjoy the video and catchy song!

Bootylicious by Destiny's Child

The Effects of Social Media Campaigns

Different types of Social Media
By: Asthma Helper

In the past several years, social media campaigns have become increasingly popular because of sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.  In fact, it is quite remarkable that millions of people from all over the world use Facebook today!  With the increasing number of social media users, many ad campaigns have realized the significance of using social media to their advantage.  They use different strategies and techniques to place advertisements on these social media sites to lure consumers into purchasing their products.  Honestly, from the advertisers perspective, this appears to be an ingenious strategy.  One article published by Forbes agrees that using social networking sites to display ads is an excellent idea.  Even looking at the website for this article, one will see several ads displayed around the screen.  This article specifically mentions Proctor and Gamble's Old Spice's technique of using Twitter and Facebook to establish a rapport with their consumers.  Not only could consumers pose questions, they would be answered.  These simple "q and a's" let consumers have a personal connection with the company.  Additionally, Forbe's believe that this is merely the beginning of social media campaigns.  After describing some of their personal favorite social media ad campaigns, they went on to give the qualifications for an effective social media ad.  According to them, it takes creativity, perfect timing, and an understandable or relatable message. 
Being a user of many different social media sites, I must admit that different ads have lured me in.  Although I cannot think of an actual time when I bought something because of an ad, when I have time I check them out.  If nothing else, they are often times at least amusing or interesting.  One ad campaign I do specifically remember is for Starbucks.  On tax day, they offerered free treats through Twitter.  I thought this was a very effective way to get customers into the stores.  Overall, social media will continue to grow as long as social media usage does, which appears to remain strong for a while!

Comm 406 Ad Campaign Blog

Photo by: mukund76 

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a fan of Nike.  Although they make many different products, I really only buy their tennis shoes.  Shoes are very important to me and, because I wear children's shoes, finding a nice pair of shoes can be difficult. Therefore, when I started buying my tennis shoes from Nike I was very pleased.  Not only is the quality of the shoes high, the styles, even children's styles, are great as well.  
When considering the reasons why I have always been interested in the Nike brand, I realized it was a result of the many ads I viewed as a child.  The catchy slogan, "Just do it" and check mark symbol are associated with the brand.  In addition, their ads are generally colorful and/or intriguing.  For example, the ad in the picture states, "Yesterday you said tomorrow."  This phrase challenges viewers of the ad to be proactive and productive, something that does not necessarily benefit the company, but rather the consumers.  This ad is more intriguing, not colorful or eye-catching.  This ad can be viewed from two different perspectives.  The first is the viewers who are familiar with Nike.  For them, Nike is using their name to encourage and motivate people.  On the other hand, the viewers who are unfamiliar with the brand may like the message and therefore be interested in the brand.
Personally, the most intriguing and interesting aspect of any Nike ad is the slogan, "Just do it."  I often wondered, "What is it?" and "Why should I be doing it?"  Once I matured, I understood that "it" may not have one universal, concrete definition.  In fact, because such a variety of people buy and use Nike products, it would be impossible for the slogan to have one definition.  For example, for the athlete or trainer, possibly Nike's biggest target, "Just do it" may refer to a sport or training.  For someone who is not an athlete but wears Nike products, the slogan may mean something entirely different.  However, the actual individual meanings of the slogan is not what is important.  The reason I like Nike ads is that they encourage individuals to do something, whatever that something may be.