Final Media Studies Assignment.

YOUTH CULTURE

Youth Culture and the subcultures it spawns all demonstrate different ideologies, for instance, the ‘anarcho-punks’ are motivated by music, and an ideology that rejects institution. Where-as ‘Goths” are motivated by an anti-consumerist but peaceful ideology in stark contrast to the ‘neo-Nazis’ who are motivated by the ideology that people of colour are less than those who are white.

Ideology, as defined by Schirato, “disposes people to see and act in certain ways” It can also produce meanings that are “naturalized or universalized” (Schirato, Buettner and Jutel). Youth cultures and the subculture spawned by it are motivated by different ideologies. In his article Richard Griffiths examines the effects these ideologies play on the wardrobes of these subcultures (Griffiths,). His description of ‘anarcho-punks and goths’ reveals that the media portrayal of these subcultures can also be twisted from the actual ideology of the subcultures.

The punk ideology is believed to have started in the late 1960’s in either London or New York, on the back of music by the ‘Sex Pistols and the Ramones’ and is believed to have died out towards the end of the 1970’s. However the ‘Goth’ ideology is believed to have started in England in the late 1980’s spawning from the ‘gothic-rock’ music of the time by ‘Bauhaus and the Cure’ and is still accepted as being an alive ideology (Wilson). The ‘neo-Nazi’ ideology has spawned from Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party of Germany in the 1940’s and on the back of the fascist, racist and anti-semiotic ideology (Bailer-Galanda and Neugebauer).

For each subculture that is present in the youth culture of New Zealand there is an ideology behind it. Griffiths explains that buried in the ‘anarcho-punks’ image of patches, symbols slogans and images as well as spikes, studs, chains and belts, is “multiple references to bands and anarchist philosophy which … strongly rejects institutional structures such as the state of government” (Griffiths, Wicked Wardrobes: Youth and fashion in Aotearoa New Zealand.). What this image demonstrates is that ‘anarcho-punks’ are motivated by an ideology which is on of anti-government. He also describes how ‘anarcho-punks’ view uncleanliness, as in personal hygiene or dirty clothes as a way of resisting stereotypes and going against consumerism.

Ideologies can also be warped and presented differently by the media. For example, following the ‘Columbine school shootings” in 1999 the media portrayed ‘Goths’ as having an ideology that revolved simply around death, violence, murder and Nazism an ideology that would have been more suited to ‘Neo-Nazi’s’, however, because the perpetrators adorned the clothing of the ‘gothic’ subculture they were allied with the same ideology. Where-as ‘Goths’ who associated with the gothic ideology before the shootings claimed to be more peaceful and anti-violence and they argued that the perpetrators had simply adorned the clothing of the ‘gothic’ subculture (Griffiths).

In an interview with self-proclaimed ‘Goth’ “Ewan” stated that the gothic wardrobe where males wear make-up, threatens the socially accepted boundaries of the gender “image and role” (242). Which demonstrates that a dominant ideology behind the male ‘Goths’ is one that wants to stand out and push the boundaries that are set, and adhered to, by what is considered to be the ‘social norms’.

‘Neo-Nazi’s’ are motivated by a unified dislike for people who are of ‘colour’ and ‘white power’ as well as “extreme nationalism” (Vogelsang and Larsen). Neo-Nazi’s are also motivated by the want to reproduce the ‘Nazi’ party ideology or a variation there of, which had been banned in 1945 (Bailer-Galanda and Neugebauer). The wardrobe of ‘neo-Nazi’s’ often if one that promotes the Nazi ideology, incorporating ‘Nazi’ symbols such as the ‘swastika’, the ‘Parteiadler’ as well as SS symbols such as the SS bolts and the death heads, often used to promote an anti-Semite (Anti-Jew) ideology which is one that is mimicking the ideology of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party (Bailer-Galanda and Neugebauer).

What this shows is that for each different subculture in recent and past youth culture there is a different ideology behind it, that has appealed to the youth of its time. Whether it’s the ‘Anarcho-punks’ rejecting institution, ‘Goths’ pushing the boundaries of gender and image and rebelling against the consumerist society or the ‘neo-Nazi’s’ and their fascist, racist and anti-Semite ideologies drawn from the Nazi party of Germany.

  

Works Cited

Bailer-Galanda, Brigitte and Wolfgang Neugebauer. "Incorrigibly Right. Right-Wing Extremists, "Revisionists" and Anti-Semites." Austrian Politics Today (1996): 5-21.

Griffiths, Richard. "Wicked Wardrobes: Youth and fashion in Aotearoa New Zealand." Cultural Studies in Aotearoa New Zealand: Identity, Space and Place. (2004): 299-250.

—. "Wicked Wardrobes: Youth and Fashion in Aotearoa New Zealand." Cultural Studies in Aotearoa New Zealand, Space and Place (2004): 229-250.

Schirato, Tony, et al. Understanding Media Studies. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Vogelsang, Peter and Brian B M Larsen. Neo-Nazism. 1 January 2002. 1st June 2011 <http://www.holocaust-education.dk/eftertid/nynazisme.asp>.

Wilson, Cinatra. You Just Can’t Kill It. 17 September September 17, 2008. 1 June 2011 <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/fashion/18GOTH.html>.

  

 DIGITAL CULTURE

Social network sites and internet forums help their users to users create a self-identity of their choosing. Users of these social network sites and forums can upload photos, moderate the people who can see their information and also join groups of people who share the same identity and interests on online forums.

Identity as defined by Shuker is “the cultural description of individuals (Self or others)” (Shuker). However, with the digital culture of today social network sites and internet forum users are able to create a ‘self-identity’ that may not represent their real life identity. Users can then use their assumed identity to act in a way that may differ to that of the real life version of the identity.

Users on social network sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Twitter can create an identity which does not specifically represent them. Unlike in real life where somebody who is applying for a passport or a drivers licence one or more proof of identity is needed, however, social network sites do not require this level of information. An identity can be created simply by a user supplying a valid email and some basic information which, apart from the email, is not checked to see if it is accurate (Facebook.com). Users can also create more than one profile as long as they have a valid email, users can also create a profile in any name they choose, which may not necessarily correspond with the real life identity (Facebook.com) (Myspace.com) (Bebo.com) (twitter.com).

Users on social network sites are not limited to what they can broadcast or how it is broadcast. It is because of this that the users can portray any image wanted. Social network users can broadcast their ideas, images, work and countless other things to the people ‘following’ them or the ‘friends’ they have (Dorsey, Glass and Williams). However, unless the privacy settings are changed to limit access to the profile of a user a passer-by can view the entire profile (Facebook.com). Users can also choose what information to add to the webpage, with social networks allowing it’s users to add their favourite books, movies, music and people. However, social network sites allow advertisers to display relevant information to a user corresponding with this information.

The photos put onto these social network sites can also allow users to portray a self-identity of their choosing; Facebook has an ability to ‘tag’ people in photos, however the user has the ability to remove these ‘tags’, by removing these ‘tags’ the user can adhere to their desired image. Social network sites that allow its users to upload their own ‘profile’ photos in turn allow the users to convey an image of any quality to produce any image desired. The photos usually found on social network sites such as the photo sharing website Flickr have shifted from “special and rarefied moments” to pictures of social gatherings, parties and Susan Murray identifies these as “one’s discovery of and framing of the small and mundane” (Murray). Murray’s use of the words “small and mundane” is a way of defining the change from developed photo’s placed in photo albums, to digital photos uploaded to every corner of the internet (Flickr).  

Digital culture also allows its users to broadcast to only a select few. Allowing them to have a select few ‘friends’ that can see what they broadcast. This helps the user to create an identity of their choosing.  On social network sites a user can choose to have 50 ‘friends’ or 500 as well as choosing who to broadcast to out of these ‘friends’ they have (Facebook.com). By choosing these friends the user is choosing to only interact with a few people, and with a click of a mouse, decline others.

Internet forums allow users to converse and post with people who share the same interests; this also allows the users to create a self-identity within the forums thus letting them interact with people who share the same basic self-identity. For example, online game forums are created with one goal in mind, to give its users a place to talk about the game or organise groups these forums are chosen in the knowledge that the users are there because of the shared interest. For example, the users of the internet forum Team Quitter.com gather because of the shared interest in a particular game (TeamQuitter.com).

Digital culture allows its users to create self-identities that do not always correspond to their real life identities. This is accomplished by uploading photos, moderating the people who can see what is being broadcast, allowing the users to broadcast with small restrictions and online forums give users the chance to broadcast and interact with people who share the same ‘identity’ by gathering groups of like-minded people together.

Works Cited

Bebo.com. Bebo. 1 July 2005. 31 May 2001 <www.bebo.com>.

Dorsey, Jack, et al. Twitter.com. 15th July 2006. 31 May 2011 <www.twitter.com>.

Facebook.com. Facebook. Febuary 4 2004. 27 May 2011 <www.Facebook.com>.

—. Facebook:Privacy. 1 January 2011. 31st May 2011 <http://www.facebook.com/policy.php>.

Flickr. Flickr. 1 Febuary 2004. 31st May 2011 <www.Flickr.com>.

Murray, Susan. "Digital Images, Photo-Sharing, and Out Shifting Notions of Everyday Aesthetics." Journal Of Visual Culture 7.2 (2008): 147-163.

Myspace.com. Myspace. 1 August 2003. 31 May 2011 <www.myspace.com>.

Shuker, Roy. Popular Music: The Key Concepts. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2005. Print. Popular Music: The Key Concepts. 2nd. London: Routledge, 2005.

TeamQuitter.com. Team Quitter. 1 January 2006. 28 May 2011 <http://www.teamquitter.com/phpBB2/index.php>.

twitter.com. Twitter. 15 July 2006. 31 May 2011 <www.Twitter.com>.

Media Studies Assignment #2 "liveness"

Liveness, also known as immediacy plays a vital role in today’s television, while being very prominent in pre 1950’s television where it television was mostly broadcast live. The updates in recording devices now means that more and more television shows are being pre-recorded then broadcast using VHS or Dvd. This will discuss the effect of liveness on the chosen clip (ONE News at 6 - January 17, 2011) and the television genre horror and also more generally how genre conventions affect the liveness in television broadcasts.

Liveness, or Immediacy, is defined by Gripsrud as “A key aesthetic value” (90) in television. Television used to be screened live, but from the late 1950’s onwards the advances in recording devices and playback devices have made it easier to pre-record television and broadcast it Via Video or DVD (Gripsrud), however most news broadcasts are screened live and streamed via satellite. For example, the news broadcast show in the clip is highlighting ‘immediacy’ by being recorded live, and which in turn is working on the genre convention that news is deemed more factual when it is directly reported from a reporter who is live from the scene. This is a genre convention of the news, with it being deemed more accurate when the watcher can see the events taking place.

While other Television shows hide the cables and microphones to try to convince the viewer that what they are seeing is happening right there as you watch it, and the actors and actresses very rarely address the audience directly (Also known as the fourth wall). The ‘news anchors’ will always look directly and speak directly at the camera, as if directly speaking to each individual viewer this is also another genre convention of the news.

The main event portrayed in the clip (ONE News at 6 - January 17, 2011) is the reporting of the effect of flooding in Australia, the areas affected are shown to us on a map of Australia. What this helps the viewer do is to locate the effected area’s which may not be so widely known, but also help the viewer determine how far they are from the affected areas. The news is mostly reported by the ‘Australian correspondents’ who are reporting from the scene of the ‘worst floods in decades’. The ‘news’ utilizes having New Zealanders acting as correspondents in several countries who are experts at reporting on that countries news and current affairs. This allows the viewers in New Zealand to get the news from different countries around the world from New Zealanders. Another story only mentioned in the headlines is how these floods may affect your groceries prices which indicates that the ‘news’ is created for the people, and watching it will in turn help them.

What this news broadcast utilizes is the love New Zealander’s have for each other, even though it is a Australian based problem, the New Zealand based news company has found an Australian based New Zealander to interview. This allows viewers in New Zealand to find a way to relate to the problems that Australia is having, by doing this the ‘news’ is showing how this problem, the floods, effects more than just Australians.

The clip displays the effects of liveness from the beginning, the weather reporter using the words ‘It is about to get wild and windy’ what this line of speech indicates to the viewer is that it is happening soon. The same reporter also states that ‘right now, it is 6 o’clock’ by indicating the time to the viewer, the reporter is indicating that the broadcast is live. During announcing of the headline news by the anchors, it is indicated to us that later on in the broadcast they will be ‘reporting live’ from the scene. The reporter also uses a microphone with the one news logo on the side, to indicate that they are watching a reporter who is reporting in the best interests of the viewer.

Genre is defined by “the way texts are put together and read” (Schirato, Buettner and Jutel), as well as a way of categorizing texts (193). A way that helps the viewer to determine what genre they are watching is defined by Chion as “Audio-visual illusion” (Chion). Meaning that certain sounds and images in the text gives away the genre. Horror is also genre of television with separate conventions. It is these conventions that allow the viewers to determine what sort of program they are watching. For example, sounds that give away the genre of ‘horror’ could be; screaming, thuds and shrieks while images that give away the ‘horror’ genre could be; blood streaks on walls, dimly lit rooms. The horror genre also focuses less on the ‘liveness’ aspect of television or film, and more on the shock and awe factor at the extremes, although, horror does want you to feel as though it could be in your position. This is achieved by using story lines that people could easily find themselves in, road trip gone wrong, holiday to Europe turns into a massacre. This plays on the viewer’s belief that they could be in that position not just viewing from “a distance” (Gripsrud) as they actually are.

The clip displays the effects of liveness from the beginning, the weather reporter using the words ‘It is about to get wild and windy’ what this line of speech indicates to the viewer is that it is happening soon. The same reporter also states that ‘right now, it is 6 o’clock’ by indicating the time to the viewer, the reporter is indicating that the broadcast is live. During announcing of the headline news by the anchors, it is indicated to us that later on in the broadcast they will be ‘reporting live’ from the scene.

The news genre in general and especially in this clip uses images and sounds to tell you it’s the news. From the very beginning of the clip the tag “one news” is displayed in the bottom right hand corner. This is followed by a male voice over telling the viewer who the ‘anchors’ are and that they are watching “one news”. The ‘anchors’ then introduce us to the headlines which are each tagged as ‘one news headlines’. During the reporting of the Australian floods, the ‘live’ reporting is denoted by a sign in the bottom left of the screen saying ‘live’ and where it is live from. This is extended further when the news anchor is conversing live with the correspondent, with each location donated by ‘Studio’ or ‘Brisbane’. At the conclusion of the clip, at the conclusion of the broadcast, the news anchors conclude the broadcast with ‘that’s all for Monday’ and departing words of ‘good night’ both of these lines help the viewer conclude that the broadcast of the ‘news’ that they just watched was screened live.

If the ‘news’ strays from these genre conventions for example, reporting from the scene, looking directly at the camera, providing news for the people and remaining ‘live’. It could ruin the viewer’s perception of the news that is being delivered to them. The news is broadcast at the same times every day, 12 noon, 4.30 pm, 6 pm and 10.25 pm with exceptions for breaking news stories, and stories of great importance (TVNZ). Other forms of television do not always have to stick to these conventions to be successful, with most utilizing the advances in recording equipment and being pre-recorded. However, as Grisprud states, failures in this equipment, for instance, technical problems or atmospheric interference have often caused the viewers to question the ‘liveness’ of the pre-recorded broadcast as it disrupts the ‘illusion’.    

While over the years television has evolved with the improvements to recording and broadcasting equipment allowing more and more programs to be pre-recorded. Certain genres, in the case of this clip, the news have tried keep the ‘liveness’ aesthetic. Employing many strategies to come across as live, the news has stuck to these genre conventions to remain ‘factual’ and accurate. While other genres such as horror use ‘liveness’ in other ways to try to put the viewer into the perspective of them being in the place of the protagonist.  

Works Cited

Chion, Micheal. Audio-Vision. New York: Columbia Universtiy Press, 1994.

Gripsrud, Jostein. "Television, Broadcasting, Flow,: Key Metaphors in TV Theory." Geraghty, Christine and David Lusted. The Television Studies Book. London: Arnold, 1998. 17-32.

ONE News at 6 - January 17, 2011. YouTube. Web Video. Jan 19, 2011. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djWZcgKLniE&feature=player_embedded>

Schirato, Tony, et al. Understanding Media Studies. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2010.

TVNZ. One News Coverage Times - Christchurch Earthquake. 22 Febuary 2011. 9 May 2011 <http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1102/S00774/one-news-coverage-times-christchurch-earthquake.htm>.

Word Count -1361