Facebook: The New Crack Cocaine?

Media Meditation Number 3

Facebook. Ever heard of it? Of course you have, and so has every other person in the media drenched world. Facebook is the ultimate example of the bandwagon persuasive technique, with over 300 million active users, 50% of which log on at least once a day. There's no question that Facebook, one of "the fastest growing websites on the Internet"(53) and other social networking sites have changed the way that we communicate, but is this change becoming something negative? Are we loosing the honesty and personal connection of face to face conversation and replacing it with typed words read off a computer screen? And, is this new way of communicating hurting peoples lives of helping them? In my opinion, Facebook is the new crack cocaine.

This funny media text targets the limbic brain by using music to examine how we are overloaded with social media. This text also uses plain folks to appeal to the average social media user, as well as humor (seeing that this is a pretty funny song).

Facebook is the ultimate reality construction. Having trouble making friends? No problem, the average Facebook user has 130 online friends (at least), and making new ones is as easy as pressing "Send Request." Talk about a simple solution. Mad at someone, don't want to be their friend anymore? Simply press a little X and voila! They are no longer your friend.

Communication becomes easier when you don't have to physically talk to someone. On Facebook you can send personal messages, write on someones wall, or comment on their activities. It's like your talking to them, but your not.

According to CNN, "Although there are no statistics on "Facebook addiction" -- it isn't an actual medical diagnosis -- therapists say they're seeing more and more people... who've crossed the line from social networking to social dysfunction."

So how do you know when you've changed from casual user to addict? Obviously the individual meaning you glean from Facebook effects weather or not you think your addicted; some people think spending hours a day on Facebook is fine, but some people think that's going overboard. The Daily Mind provides some insight on how to identify the addiction, and beat it. Do you check your Facebook account multiple times a day? How about thinking about Facebook when your not actually online? Miss events, meetings, personal interactions in order to spend more time on Facebook? Yep, you're "addicted."

One "addiction clue" the Daily Mind pointed out is that if you are updating your Facebook account from your Blackberry (nicknamed the Crackberry), then your addicted to FB(Facebook) because Blackberrys are supposed to be used for business, not pleasure. I have a little problem with this one "clue." I know plenty of people with Blackberrys that have no use for them other than updating their FB via mobile phone. They don't only sell Blackberrys (and other smart phones) to professionals, and if you have the capability to see FB on your mobile, why not use it?

So just because you do these things, are you addicted to Facebook? Should you be checking into a social networking rehab? No. "...problems arise when users ignore family and work obligations because they find the Facebook world a more enjoyable place to spend time than the real world."

But lets be honest, Facebook is "more enjoyable" than the real world. You can choose the light people see you in, only posting certain pictures, or controlling the language you speak to other people in. You can determine the degree of access you give someone to your life, by imposing restrictions on profile viewing. You can grow a fruit full farm without lifting a finger (Don't even get me started on Farmville... KIDDIE CRACK). There is a huge emotional transfer involved in using FB. You're basically forging (and sometimes ending) friendships, relationships, and hobbies. It's almost like living real life!

There are also some things you can do on FB, that would be downright weird in the real world. Like, stalking for one. Facebook is a total cultural shift. If you have no profile restrictions, without even being friends with you, someone you can view your profile, monitor your conversations between other friends, and look at your pictures. Facebook also prompts you to read conversations between people that you are friends with by posting them on your homepage.

BBC's "The Wall" featured a hilarious clip highlighting how odd Facebook behavior really is, when enacted in real life.

Think this is ridiculous? Think Facebook addiction is a fallacy created by anti-technology people? Well consider the book, "Facebook Addiction: The Life & Times of Social Networking Addicts."

Another key in the Facebook Addiction story according to Michael Fenichel, Ph.D,

is that "The amazing thing is that, like cell phones, nobody seems to notice the vast amount of time and energy - at work, at home, and now while on the move - people are devoting to Facebook." So to some it may seem normal to check Facebook 60 times a day, but to the person doing it, it is taking over other parts of their life. There is such a slim line between a normal social networking user and an Internet addict, you have to ask "When is a friend a friend? When is constant behavior an addiction? Is there such a thing as too much or too little social networking? Who decides?"

So what does when do if they determine that they are in fact, addicted to Facebook? Join the Facebook group, Facebook Addiction Disorder of course.

Satirical Success: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Media Meditation Number 2

Satires have been used throughout history to bring attention to the qualms of society. FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia brings to light some of pressing issues of our time, while disguising social commentary in hilarious and absurd comedy. From the ironic title to the well-developed slew of relatable characters, "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" is a commentary on American society that hits the nail right on the head.

From the first thirty seconds of the episode, the audience is alerted that they are about to cover some sticky and controversial subjects. The pacing in this show allows the audience to know pretty much what they are going to see before they commit to watching the whole 30-minute episode. Some of the episode titles include: “The Gang Gets Racist, Charlie Wants an Abortion, Underage Drinking: A National Concern, The Gang Goes Jihad and Dennis and Dee Go On Welfare.”

In “Charlie Goes America All Over Everbody's Ass” written by Rob McElhenny and Charlie Day, “The Gang” covers topics such as smoker’s rights, fictitious or misleading PR, the pitfalls of freedom, and the Hurricane Katrina crisis.

Dennis Reynolds: "If you don't like smoke, then don't come into the bar."

Charlie Kelly: "I *work* in this bar. I work here."

Dennis Reynolds: "But that's because you have the freedom to choose to work here, okay? Smoking bans, they don't protect freedom, they strip it away from smokers."

Smoker’s rights have been a controversial issue for years. Recently, it has been made illegal in many places to smoke indoors, and in some places even outdoors. In Manhattan it will soon be illegal to smoke outdoors. The show challenges us to consider this topic when Dennis is smoking in the bar, even though Charlie, a fellow employee, wants a smoke free workplace. Are Charlie’s rights in danger, because he should be guaranteed a safe, and healthy workplace? Or, are Dennis rights being tromped on because he should be allowed to exercise his choice to smoke cigarettes?

Connected to this issue is that of misleading or fictitious PR. In Media and Culture, it is shown how a “staged event,” such as the staged event in the 1920's which led to generating the idea that high class women smoke cigarettes, and challenged the taboo of women smoking in public. This event was put into order by PR agents, who paid important women to smoke cigarettes in public, and staged a parade to showcase this event. The same issue of creating a fictitious PR, coincidentally also about smoking, comes up in the “Always Sunny” episode. Charlie, who is captivated by an anti-smoking street performance by the advocacy group TRUTH, is shocked to find out that the people that were demonstrating against Big Tobacco were actually actors, and also smokers.

Another comment on American society made in “Always Sunny” is the Catch 22’s of unrestricted freedom. Mac and Dennis decided to implement an “anything goes” policy, advertising unlimited freedom. They even allow Frank to run an illegal gambling parlor in a portion of the bar. This is an example of a political shift, the rules of the bar changed from being regulated to deregulated.

Soon, this idyllic situation of unrestrained freedom spirals out of control. Mac and Dennis walk into the bar to find a man shooting up heroin, and they’re two main enemies, the McBoyle brothers sitting at the bar committing incest with their sister.

They try to gain the upper hand in the situation, but when they walk downstairs to Frank playing Russian roulette with a group of Vietnamese men, they realize that only the police can restore order at this point.

Theoretically, America was designed to give its citizens freedoms that they couldn’t experience in other countries. But as the country developed and social interactions became more complicated, more and more laws had to be put in order to keep a general peace within the country. Should we feel disappointed that the promise of “true American freedom” falls short, or value the safety and balance that laws, and law enforcement, provides?

The “anything goes” regulations of Paddy’s pub in this episode were modeled after the crazy antics of New Orleans’ famed Mardi Gras Celebration. Mac and Dennis make an astute comment on the events of Hurricane Katrina.

Dennis: “See, this is what it was like to have a bar in New Orleans, bro.”

Mac: “Oh, man, New Orleans really had their shit figured out!”

Dennis: “Oh, they totally had their shit figured out. Yeah, except for the levees.”

This episode in particular uses the persuasive technique of defensive nationalism. Charlie, so fed up with the "Un-American" actions he's witnessed, sings a song about "rising up, and kicking a little ass." His clothing also alludes to a nationalist attitude. He is wearing a jean jacket and an American flag bandanna throughout the show, which is not his usual garb.

So how is this 30 minute weekly cable television show so aptly able to comment on so many complicated facets of society?

The most crucial element of the show that allows “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is that is relies heavily on humor, one of the most effective techniques of persuasion.

The main premise of the show is cataloguing the adventures of "The Gang," which consists of Frank, Dee, Dennis, Charlie and Mac. This implies a group dynamic, so much in fact that usually none of the characters are ever shown alone on screen during the show.

Also, the show appeals to the average viewer by having relatable, and typical characters. This technique is also known as "Plain Folks."

One of the biggest questions I have regarding the show is about reality construction trade offs. Most of the time the characters are drinking at their bar, no matter what time of day. This raises the question of their quality of life, since you cannot possibly drink all day and have a successful life. Also, the bar never has any customers, but all of the characters live in semi-nice apartments, with the exception of Charlie. The lifestyle proposed by the show is not a viable one, so the reality presented in Always Sunny is kind of twisted.

The series also frequently alludes to iconic cinema or events. In the final scene of “Charlie Goes America Over Everybody's Ass,” Frank and his group of Vietnamese gamblers are playing Russian roulette. The scene is a homage to the 1978 film The Deer Hunter.

Charlie also references the film Dog Day Afternoon in the same episode, when he shouts “Attica, Attica!” outside Paddy’s.

Upon entering the bar after a night that got too crazy with freedom, Dee exclaims, “It looks like Jonestown in here,” referencing the Jonestown massacre of 1978.

Mentioning these iconic films and events is almost like using a testimonial, because they are relating the show to these successful and well known movies/events.

Another aspect of this show that viewers eat right up is merchandising. You can buy Always Sunny T-Shirts, or T-Shirts with the Paddy's Pub logo on them. You can get the "Green Man" costume, worn by Charlie, as well as coffee mugs and pint glasses with Sunny slang on them. There is even an "Always Sunny" beer pong table, shot glasses, mouse pads, and even the "Dick Towel," which was introduced as a gag in the current season of Sunny, and as of the day the phrase was mentioned on the show, there is a fully functioning website to order the towel.

One aspect of the show that has only been apparent in recent episodes is product placement, which is "buying space for particular goods to appear on a TV show or movie" (345). For example, in the recent season Paddy's has begun to serve Coors, when previous to this season they never named a specific brand of beer that was served at the bar. In another episode, they constantly mention the restaurant Dave and Busters, and there was a Dave and Busters commercial at every break.

iDon’t Want a Droid… O Wait, Yes I Do!

Media Meditation Number 1

It's here: the Verizon iPhone equivalent.

Verizon just introduced its new smart phone (and iPhone competitor): Droid. The company is laying down the loot pushing the product on the American public. According to The Silicon Valley Insider, the Droid advertisement series is an "...integrated campaign, the largest in Verizon history, (and) will receive an estimated $100 million in support, most of it spent before the end of the year." I guess that's just a meager amount when you compare it to the "$280 billion (that) was spent on U.S. advertising (about one-third of the money spent on ads worldwide)-- enough money to finance the budgets of several small countries" (375).

Verizon has done basically everything it can to set Droid apart from the current dominator of the smart phone market, the iPhone. The initial commercial Verizon launched featured a series of “iDont’s.” Although the iPhone is never directly referenced, it's pretty clear that it's the target, especially with the format of the font (iPod, iPhone, ect), a clear symbol of an Apple product. Droid presents itself as a simple solution for those that don't like the iPhone, or just don't have AT&T.

Apple was quick to respond to the iDont campaign with another commercial: iDon't Care.

The campaign just started airing commercials in October, and already I feel as if I have been anticipating this new “solve-all-the-iPhone’s-problem’s” smart phone for years. Maybe that’s because Verizon chose to launch an intrusive multi-media campaign with not only a television commercial element, but also advertising on YouTube and Facebook. This advertising technique is called saturation advertising, defined in Media and Culture "a variety of media are inundated with ads aimed at target audiences" (356).

iPhone commercials, and Apple advertisements in general, tend to be funny, catchy, and kind of upbeat. They appeal to the limbic brain with trendy music, and bright, crisp images. This is not the case with Droid. Verizon chose a very futuristic and mechanical look for its ads, setting itself apart from the iPhone.

The campaigns aesthetics definitely set it apart from the iPhone, but I am not sure that this choice is going to be in Verizon’s favor. The cold, harsh nature of the ads seems mostly directed towards techy-male consumers. This could hurt Droid’s chances of becoming the first iPhone killer. Media and Culture highlights the fact that "...ad agencies believed women, who constituted 70 to 80 percent of newspaper and magazine readers, controlled more household purchasing decisions. (This is still a fundamental principle of advertising today)" (350). Apple Matters had a short, funny post about the differences in the two phones' advertisement series. A commenter on the Apple Matters blog pointed out how the iDon't ad may seem "anti-Apple" but, in actuality, both companies ads are using the straw man technique, so they are not completely opposite.

I went on the Droid site to see exactly what this baby can do. Well, talk about convergence. It's not only a cell phone, but a full on media hub. Droid functions as a GPS, an appointment book, a camera (5 mega pixels that can take pictures IN THE DARK), a search engine, a vehicle for social interaction, a mP3 player, and if you can believe it, much, much more. This phone has options I would have never even thought of. You can find your friends (or lovers, children, co-workers... anyone in your phone book) with Google latitude, which allows you to see where they are and vice versa. Isn't that called stalking? Personally, this whole know-where-everyone-is-at-all-times is not working for me. This is an extreme example of cultural shift.

One really cool aspect of this new do-everything device I discovered on their website was Android.

Seeing that I am not exactly a "tech-savvy" person, I got a little lost in the developer lingo used in the

short video on the Android site, but when I saw the video of the TWO phones playing Pong together, I was sold.

I want one of these.

The article Verizon released explains the Android platform, and the partnership

with Google (the largest media conglomerate in existence) in a more "plain folks" type of language. According to chairman and chief executive ofGoogle, “The Android platform allows Verizon Wireless customers to experience faster and easier access to the web from any location...Through this partnership, we hope to deliver greater innovation in the mobile space to consumers across the U.S.” Having a faster internet connection will no doubt boost the already huge amount of people that are communicating through social networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter. But, it could as well widen the digital divide. Those that can afford new, expensive smart phones have the ability to access the internet faster and more reliably than those that can't.

Oh yeah, how could I forget this nifty little feature, Droid does Times Square. Use the voice search option and your search may appear on the NASDAQ ticker in Times Square. Totally necessary. Right?

No, almost none of this is in any way necessary! Although I love the convenience of having everything in one place, we have to ask: is convergence making us stupid? I read a great article in another class of mine, Is Google Making Us Stupid, and I have to say, yes. I was talking to my brother in law the other day and he was saying how he couldn’t read a map. 32 year old man, can’t read a map. What is wrong with that picture? There are so many things that we have technology do for us now and days that we could do for ourselves.

So is the Droid another step in the wrong direction? Or am I just living in the technological past and need to get with the program? Whatever it is, the Droid is a welcome competitor to the iPhone in the Smart Phone market. Apple has dominated a good portion of the media market, with their line of laptops, which are becoming increasingly more popular and of course, the iPod, which has yet to be challenged (successfully) by another brand of portable mP3 player, and now the iPhone.

Is the Droid on my Christmas list? I'm not so sure I'm ready for all that accessibility.

Hello!

My name is Becka Gregory and I am writing this blog for my class Mass Media and Communication. I am a sophomore Professional Writing Major, who would someday like to be a book editor (if they still exist).

My relationship with media today is very love-hate, as I am sure many peoples are. There are aspects of the media I do not like, such as the news broadcast constantly capitalizing fear to get people to watch the news. Or how the magazine industry Photoshop images to perfection, sometimes drastically changing photographs.The Dove Campign for Real Beauty does a great job illustating this in their short film Evolution.

But I do like the convenience of being able to access music through my computer, and being able to watch television on the computer. OH, and Stumbleupon.com. I am absolutely addicted to Stumbleupon. 

WARNING: You WILL waste hours on this website.

In Mass Media and Culture 7, there have been a lot of captivating themes. One of them would be the realization that our postmodern society willingly accepts the paradox of wanting new technology, but feeling nostalgic for the past; simpler times. Like I said before; I and am sure many other people, have a love hate relationship with todays media culture. 

Another interesting concept in the text is the Digital Divide. The term Digital Divide refers to the greater inability for poor, or rural communities to have access to the Internet and other new, expensive technology. In our own county this divide is illustrated by the gap between people who have access to fast, broadband internet, and those who can only afford slow, dialup internet. Internationally, there is a huge divide when comparing countries like the United States to less developed countries. This article from ABC News, Homing Piegon Faster Than Internet? In S. Africa, Yes, illustrates the divide very well.

The section about the bending of gender rolls in the onset of rock and roll I thought was very interesting. They talk primarily about the performer Little Richard, who would dress in extravagant costumes, and that he purposely bent traditional gender rolls to avoid racism. He did not want white people to think that he was a sex symbol to their daughters, so he blurred the line between man and woman. 

Another theme that struck me as interesting was the topic of the authority of radio. The text discusses how in 1938 Orson Welles aired War of The Worlds with only one before program disclaimer. People who tuned in after the disclaimer believed the reading as the truth and some even ran in the streets with towels on their head to prevent the "martians" that had invaded earth from harming them. I found this interesting because in today's culture people pay very little attention to the radio. I've been at the beach before and heard a severe thunderstorm warning on the radio and no one left the beach. There is less respect for the authority of the radio today then there was in the 1930's. 

War of The Worlds original broadcast

The four tool sets that we have learned to analyze, recognize and judge media are working very effectively for me. The Triune brain model has not only been relevant for me in Mass Media, but also in one of my Core classes. These tool sets are definitely one of the things I have learned so far in school that has real world applications. It's fun to turn on the t.v. and try to spot the persuasive technique commercials are using, although I think that they are usually pretty obvious. It's much more fun to do with tv series, movies, and the news. I especially like to consider the Seven Basic Principals more often then before. I find that media is more comprehendible and possibly less influential when your thinking about why it exists.

One question about media I would like to know about by the end of the course is if media is just an extension of the human consciousness. Like since we interact with media, make media, and it is a necessary part of lives and our culture, then does the media always reflect the desires and ideals of the current people? Lambros Malafouris is a Seed Revolutionary who is studying this topic.