Conducting An interview

This week my group and I had come together to discuss our questions for the interview we were going to conduct in the coming weeks. Our topic was the perceptions of villains in the media, focusing on both fiction and reality and the different reactions which people give off from them.  We generated two open-ended questions which include a brief back story to give the participate some background knowledge to the question,

1- In the 2011 movie Thor, Loki, the villain, assists his Family’s enemies to invade their home and steal the Casket, a source of renewable energy for the enemy, assists in the exile of his brother and ultimately attempts to murder him. However, his origin story involves his discovery that he was adopted from his family’s enemies and that his life was a lie, and understands why his father never loved him as much as his brother.From reading his backstory, are his actions explained or justified?

2-In September 2012, Geoff Hunt shot his wife and three children and then shot himself on his farm just south of Wagga Wagga, NSW. It was revealed that for three years prior to that, he had been supporting his wife, who suffered brain injuries in a car crash, and was feeling a lot of pressure from the state of the farming industry at the time.From reading his backstory, are his actions explained or justified?

These questions would start to make the participate get into the right state of mind to determine her/his position on the topic.The  questions were more open-ended to start a small debate about the issue and we as a group felt that there would generate a real discussion around our focus topic. The next questions were close-ended to break up the discussion and really make the participate think.

Do you think that the media sensationalises criminal activities too much? Should they be more objective? – Yes, no, I don’t know

Do you feel more sympathy for a fictional villain if you know their origin story? – yes, no, I don’t know

These questions made us as a group very interested to see how the different types of questions would effect the participate. however we felt the open-ended questions would generate a better answer and would provide us as a group a better result to use in the next part of our research phrase.

Analysing a text: Snapchat: Sexting tool, or the next Instagram?

In contemporary society, social media is replacing the way we communicate we each other, sites such as Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat are enabling people to communicate without meeting face to face. This is said to be creating a more connected society. In contrast many believe such sites are having negative effects on social. A recent Article Written by Doug Gross of Cable News Network (CNN) entitled, ‘Snapchat: Sexting tool, or the next Instagram’, reveals that social media sites such as Snapchat are leading today’s youth to use it for inappropriate purposes. Gross (2013) makes the assumptions that Snapchat,’is often cited for one very specific ability — the “sexting” of naughty images to other users’. Gross based this assumption without providing any empirical data or previous studies which say that Snapchat is being used for said inappropriate purposes. This statement discredits the validity of the article as he is has not provided any evidence for the audience to believe this statement.  Conversely the article claims that Snapchat is be becoming the next big social media website, bigger than Instagram.

Gross provides evidence to present that Snapchat is becoming a bigger player in the social media world; he comments that, ‘Snapchat was the sixth-most popular free app for apple’s mobile devices’. This evidence gives the reader more belief to trust the statement claimed by Gross as he has provided evidence to support his argument. The article is well structured, using a balance between some graphics and text to ensure that the reader is actively engaged with the article. Accompanying this is a variety of links which the reader can click on to further their own knowledge. Though the links are somewhat unrelated to the material which Gross is trying to get the reader to follow and form an opinion.

Overall I feel this article could have had more related sources for the audience. Likewise it is unclear who , Gross and CNN is targeting with this article, it could be teenagers, parents or even the elder. I feel it is for parents to inform of what kind of culture society media can bring up. However it could be for teenagers, to show how big Snapchat has gotten. It begs the question as to who really is this targeted at.

Reference list

Doug Gross 2013, Snapchat: Sexting tool, or the next Instagram?, CNN, viewed on 17 April 2015, http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/03/tech/mobile/snapchat/

The Importance of Ethics

Ethics are widely-agree moral principals which tells us what is right and what is wrong as well as what is proper and what is improper (McCutcheon 2015). It allows for individuals to act accordingly when dealing with something. Weerakkody,Niranjala Damyanthi (2008) highlight that, ‘Ethical behaviour should be the hallmark of research”. This quote reflects how ethics should be properly used when conducting research. Similarly Weerakkody, Niranjala Damyanthi (2008) defines that, ‘ethical research ensures the researcher is ‘doing the right thing’ by the project, its participants and society at large’. This ensures that researchers follow the correct procedure when conducting any form of research.

The video above reflects what is considered to be unethical behaviour.The video shows the harsh treatment which the students went through while they were involved in the study. This example illustrates further that ethics as well as ethical behaviour can be used to also protect the individuals involved with the research, ensuring that they are properly treated well when being the subject of the research. If there are not treated as such, then they could receive the same treatment as The Stanford Prison participates. But how do researchers know how to be ethical in their research?  It’s quite simple their just follow the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research.

“The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research guides institutions and researchers in responsible research practices and promotes research integrity” (Australian Government 2007). This code provides researchers alike to be able to ethical when researching. It gives an easy to follow step by step list of what is the proper while to do something as well as providing researches with steps pointing out what not to do when conducting their research.  This code maintains integrity in the variety of fields of research.

When it comes straight down to it ethics is important in a range of different ways. This includes, maintaining integrity throughout the research fields, ensure that researches act responsible and do what’s right when researching. Additionally it ensures that that the participates of the research are properly treated within the research which they are a part of. Ultimately it is the glue which supports the very foundation of research.

Reference List

Australia Government National Health and Medical Research Council Australia Research Council 2007, Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, viewed 16 April 2015, https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/r39_australian_code_responsible_conduct_research_150107.pdf

McCutcheon, M 2015, ‘Research ethics’ PowerPoint slides, BCM 210, Wollongong University, viewed 16 April 2015

Weerakkody, Niranjala Damayanthi 2008, ‘Research ethics in media and communication’, in Research methods for media and communications, Oxford University Press Australia and New Zealand, South Melbourne, Vic., pp. 73-91

Analysing a text: Facebook use ‘makes people feel worse about themselves’

The article which I have selected to analyse is a news article written by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) it is entitled, ‘Facebook use ‘makes people feel worse about themselves’, it details that using the social networking site of Facebook, is having negative connotations on its user base. It states that through a controlled study, that, ‘using Facebook can reduce young adults’ sense of well-being and satisfaction with life’ (BBC NEWS 2013). This quote reflects the damage that Facebook is causing on today’s youth.

The article is intended for the users as well as non users of Facebook, to reveal to them the potential risks associated with the online social networking tool. The article draws on empirical data to support its claims, such as showing, ‘while 36% said they would share bad things on Facebook’ (BBC NEWS 2013). This objective root allows the audience to reach a fair opinion on the matter, without being filled with ideas from the author due to author not taking a subjective path with the article. The BBC does not include any previous research or studies taken in the past in the article which leaves the audience with no way of finding if other research or studies have come up with the same or a differing effect.

Conversely the BBC cleverly uses respected experts in the field of psychology to increase the validity of their own evidence, such experts which include respected Internet psychologist Graham Jones. Additionally this provides a more organised way or presenting the article, as it has its opening statement then provides experts to give evidence on their statement, ensuring that the audience is able to see how Facebook is negatively effecting today’s younger generation. The article is broken up into sections including the statement that Facebook is having a negative effect on people follow by evidence in the form of a study,lastly a short conclusion which summaries the article for the reader. Through this structure the reader is easily able to follow the article, drawing out the points which their find most important.

In essence the BBC releases a well structured article, which is easy to follow, admitting to a objective view to enable its readers to reach a conclusion on their own with only the facts to help them out. In contrast the article fails to give any previous research to the readers as a means of further evidence to support its own claims as well as allowing for readers and researchers alike to compare the studies involved and analyse the two to reach or discovery a new perspective. To improve on itself I would highly recommend that the BBC Incorporate past studies or research to only strengthen its own argument.

Reference list
BCM NEWS, ‘Facebook, use ‘makes people feel worse about themselves’ BBC, 15 August, viewed 28 March, http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-23709009

What is this thing called media research?

When considering just exactly this thing we call media research is? We must first important understand what research itself is as well as when to use the right type of research.

Research is critical to our everyday lives, we continuity use it to learn or to gather information. A few practical uses of research is when we are seeking to buy a new phone, we look into the different types on the market or prices, or when planning a trip, we look at the different ways to travel and finally we even use research when we enrol in our subjects to gain knowledge about our content (McCutcheon 2015).   Scholars comment that research, in the most general sense is looking for information about something (Berger 2014, p.14). Conversely research in a scholarly manor differs from the research we conduct in our daily lives.

The video above reflects upon what differs from scholarly research to that of ‘everyday’ research, explaining that the process involved when undertaken scholarly research is different to everyday research. The clip explains that when conducting scholarly research it is for the benefit of the researcher that he or she uses more academically sources which have a more valid source of information instead of sites like Wikipedia and Google. As such sites can be misleading or provide false information. This form of research is key for university based research, as it helps find more approve forms of sources then just researching the topic like we would in our day to day lives.

Upon reflecting on research and scholarly research we can now answer what media research is? Media research is a multidisciplinary form of research an example of its range includes literary fiction to comics (McCutcheon 2015). It incorporates similarly methods that scholarly research does such as using more academic sources and more valid sources of information.

This scope of research is quite large, an interest of mine which I would like to explore more. Would be if violent video games influence children to react them in society. Social commentators such as, Rachel Browne have found that, ‘Heavy exposure to screen violence in adolescence is changing the development of young people’s brains, leading to increased aggression and reckless behaviour and decreased empathy’ (Sydney Morning Herald 2013). This has sparked my interest, leading me to see if this link is causing children to develop more aggressive behaviour.

Reference List

Berger, Arthur A 2014, ‘What is research?’ in AA Berger (ed.), Media and communication research methods: an introduction to qualitative and quantitative approaches, 3rd ed., SAGE, Los Angeles, pp. 13-32.
Browne, Rachael 2013 ,’Screen violence changing young brains: researchers’ ,Sydney Morning Herald ,viewed on 9 April 2014
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/screen-violence-changing-young-brains-researchers-20131004-2uzom.html#ixzz2yNRCApwM

McCutcheon, M 2015, ‘What is media research?’ PowerPoint slides, BCM 210, Wollongong University, viewed 15 March 2015.
Slagle, Vanessa 2011, Scholarly Research, online video, 9 February, YouTube, viewed 15 March 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIp5dIsr-go

Global Crises and Global News (Pacific Calling Partnership)

Climate change has been a issue of great debate. The news has actively been covering this debated issue for decades on end. Though the majority of news media outlets tend to focus more on the economic side of the issue instead of reporting the affects that global warming is having on global scale. Through the tutorial discussion it was raised that Australia outlets are following this global trend in regards to global warming. An example is the intense focus on the Carbon tax and its economic costs to the Australia business section, instead of focusing on how we can help stop the effects of global warming. This demonstrates that the mainstream media is not focusing on the bigger issue and ignoring what effects global warming are having on certain parts of the world.

Ward (2009, p.14) states the need for these places to be here, “voice for the voiceless”. This reflects the need for news outlets to cover those which are being affected by climate change.  The lectures show an example of an affect area of climate change. The Small island of Kiribati was displayed as a village significant hit by climate change revealing the impact that it can have upon the world. This example revealed the need for media outlets to cover the issue in more depth, by doing so it would enable individuals to see the extent which climate change is affecting the world.

Therefore it is important that media outlets step away from the economic side of climate change and focusing on what we as a nation can do to stop the effects of global warming.

References

Ward, B 2009 , Journalism ethics and climate change reporting in a period of intense media, Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics, Vol.9 , p.14

Guardianlv 2013, Global Warming, image , Guardianlv, viewed 13 October 2014 http://guardianlv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/New-IPCC-report-disproves-its-own-predictions-on-global-warming.jpg

Who Counts in Global Media (News Values)

The news is todays contemporary tool which provides the general public with breaking stories. Though exactly what does the news consider to be a matter worth reporting on?.  In recent times national matters have taken over the majority of what the news covers. International matters or news stories have been classified as less important. In the tutorial discussion there were several possibilities as to why this occurs, the main two were the general lack of interest in international stories as well as the geographical distance between nations.

A recent example which demonstrates the lack of interest when reporting on global matters is the British coverage of the recent anniversary of the Arab spring. Lee Wright (2012 p. 3) states ” Domestic TV News, BBC and ITN, did not feel the anniversary newsworthy”. Through this statement it is shown that the mainstream of domestic News outlets in Britain did not feel it necessary to report on such a matter as it was not happening within its own boarders or did not directly affect them. Similarly Lee Wright (2012 p. 3) continues to stress how Britain had a total disinterest in reporting such a matter, ” Sky News did not consider the Arab Spring in any context worthy of inclusion in their ‘Top 20 World News’ stories. This comment strengthens the idea which was brought up during class. That Britain is completely and utter uninterested in publishing this global matter in its domestic news mediums.

Similarly the class discussion highlighted that geographical position could play a part in what certain news outlets cover certain news stories. The closer the nation is to the developing story or breaking news could affect if it is reported on. When it came to the reporting of the anniversary of the Arab spring it can be seen that Britain positioning made it difficult to report on as well as its significance to the cultural context of Britain. Conversely Al Jazeera media headquarters being located in Qatar  were geographical closer to Britain, which made it  easier to report or cover the story. Additionally the cultural context of Al Jazeera is far more linked to the events of the Arab spring than Britain, making them more inclined to report on the matter.

With this in mind it can be seen that global matters which directly affect a nation are far more likely to be reported on than those that do not. Likewise the geographical can play a significant role it was is covered, as the closer it is the more easier it is to report on.

References

Lee Wright, P 2012 , ‘News Values: An Assessment of News Priorities Through a Comparative Analysis of Arab Spring Anniversary Coverage’, JOMEC Journal Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, p.3

2012, Global, image , Glassdoor , viewed on 13 October 2014 http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/164470176.jpg

Television in Translation (Drama Focus)

In recent times television has translated certain stories into contemporary dramatic television shows, which are adapted to the fit the social and cultural contexts of the targeted audience. A prime example is the modern adaption of the Sherlock Holmes story, into both American television and British television. The lecture discussed how the American’, Elementary and British Sherlock where translated to fit into the two different cultural setting.

The lecture covered the cultural differences which are presented in both programs. It noted that Sherlock is set within modern Britain, all the original elements of the story are present within the British adaptation (Frew 2014). This is to appeal to the British audiences and their geographical context. Conversely the lecture detailed that Elementary is set in modern New York, unlike the British adaption certain elements are missing or have been changed to appeal to American audiences (Frew 2014). The biggest difference is having Watson being played as a Women (Lucy Lu). This changed was noted to be a political correctness, to equality represent the female populace in a mainstream production (Frew 2014). These changes were needed to appeal to the different cultures which the programing were targeting.

For Britain the adaptation was an opportunity for audiences to see how a classic story would reshape their everyday lives. Mccaw (2010 p. 14) comments that ” the vast array of national literary “classics” chosen to be adapted, provided an opportunity for the modern nation to be reimagined”.  Through the adaption British audiences could see how Sherlock with its classic elements could reshape or reimagine the modern nation.

In conclusion, these modern translations were examples of how cultures and their audiences dictate which elements of the story are reshaped or changed to fit into their own cultural and social context. Likewise it enable a modern Britain to see how a classic story could reimagine their surrounding through the original elements of the story.

References

Frew, C 2014, “Television in Translation (Drama Focus)”, PowerPoint Sides, BCM111, viewed on 17 September

Mccaw, N 2010, Continuum Literary Studies : Adapting Detective Fiction : Crime, Englishness and the TV Detectives, Continuum International Publishing , London

Pyke, C 2013, Sherlock or Elementary: Ahead of Sherlock Season 3 try our TV Holmes quotes quiz, image, Wales online, viewed 12 October 2014 http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/sherlock-elementary-ahead-sherlock-season-6337465

Television in Translation

Comedy is a essential part of a nation’s culture.  Comedy enables individuals to poke fun on shared life experiences, through which connections are made. In recent times comedy has been translated from one nation into their own. There are instances were they have been successful. Through this success it allows for the creation of new cultural ties between nations and displays that certain life experiences are experienced globally. Furthermore the tutorial discussion highlighted that such translations are beneficial to both parties involved. As they encourage multiculturalism, through shared life experiences or cultural similarities.  An example of a successful translated comedy is Australia’s, “Mother and Son”.

Mother and Son is a Australia comedy production. The show’s main conflict is between the parent and child, involving the mother’s effort to prevent her son from leaving her ( Turnbull 2010, p.101). The comedy surrounds this conflict, it shows the different comedic ways in which the mother attempts to keep her son under her roof. The central conflict is a universal experience which many young males or children endure when moving out of their parents homes.Likewise the comedy involved, reflects the different ways in which many parents try to keep their children from moving out. For this reason it was an ideal show for different nations to translate, as many of its citizens would have experienced the same or similar to that. The lecture shown that several nations had translated this comedy, theses included :
Madre y Hijo (Chile 1995)
Keeping Mum (UK 1997)
Maman Cherie (Quebec 1998)
Gloem inte Mamma (Sweden 1998)
Pas Pa More (Denmark 1998)
Yente Anne (Turkey 2002)
(Turnbull 2014)

These examples reflect that certain cultural experiences are universally felt and that when poking fun at them it reveals the similarities that come out of these experiences. Mother and Son is a perfect example of how transition can bring differing nations together through comedy.

References

Turnbull, S (2010) ‘The long tail of mother and son: the transnational career of an Australian situation comedy’. Media International Australia incorporating Culture and Policy, no. 134, pp. 96.

Turnbull, S 2010, Week 7: Television in Translation , PowerPoint sides, BCM111 , University of Wollongong, viewed on 10 September 2014

2014, Mother and Son, image, OnyaMagazine, viewed 12 October 2014 http://www.onyamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/1936.jpg

Television and the Emergence of New ‘Media Capitals’

The recent transition of Hong Kong’s mass culture can be seen as a contemporary example of what a media capital is. Curtin (2003, p.205) states, “media capitals, are sites of mediation, locations where complex forces and flows interact…where the generation and circulation of new mass culture forms become possible”. This definition reflects the changes that have occurred in Hong Kong’s culture due to the introduction of television. Additionally within the tutorial discussion it was raised that media capitals have a positive outcome for the society which it is apart of, the advantages can be seen within Hong Kong.

When Television first arrived in Hong Kong during the late 60’s, the local society was undergoing its first step toward a consumer culture (Curtin 2003, p. 213).The Introduction of television in Hong Kong acted as a catalyst which help expand and develop this newly forming culture. The Hong Kong television industry started involving itself with consumer cultures elements this included advertising, slowing creating this new form of mass culture. This is displayed through Curtin’s (2003,p. 216) statement, “Wildly popular, television quickly became the dominant advertising medium”. It was with the introduction of television to Hong Kong initially which categorized it as a “media capital”, due to it creating a new mass culture for Hong Kong society.

With the example of Hong Kong it can be seen that ‘media capitals’ are a reality in todays modern world. Likewise they enable cultures to develop and growth. An example of this is Cantopop. Cantopop is Hong Kong Popular music it came out of the emergence as Hong Kong becoming a media capital. Curtin (2003, p.217) notes, “Cantopop is still dominating the Hong Kong music scene today and has a powerful influence in Asia”. Through this it is seen that Cantopop has become apart of Hong Kong culture. Furthermore it has enabled Hong Kong to share its culture to other parts of Asia. Hence Hong Kong as a media capital has allowed for the culture to growth and reach its own identity. Similarly it has allowed for Hong Kong to share its rich culture with other parts of Asia.

Hong Kong is a excellent example of what a media capital is, it demonstrates the positive outcomes it can have for the development of a nation as well as the growth of its culture.

references

Curtin, M 2003, ‘Media Capital: Towards the Study of Spatial Flows’, International Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 6, no. 202.

Meg, 2012, Night in Hong Kong, image, eatsimplyloveyoga, viewed 9 October, http://www.eatsimpleloveyoga.com/night-in-hong-kong/