In class questions (dec 12)

1. Ikea Monkey meme

I find this particular meme to be funny, because it references The Dark Knight Rises, which is a movie that I watched recently and quite enjoyed. In the meme, the monkey is being compared to the character Bane because in the movie he wore a similar coat, and said "When Gotham is ashes, then you have my permission to die."

2. Australian DJ dilemma

In this situation, I do believe the Australian DJs are to blame. I think it would have been a funny prank and they did not cross any boundaries during the actual prank, but they broke a law by playing it on radio without the nurse's permission. If only they asked...

Interesting Article pertaining to Canadian Forces Reserves

http://www.cp24.com/news/military-jury-still-deliberating-in-case-of-reservist-1.1063114

In the above article, a Canadian Forces Reservist's court case is being discussed. Apparently, 1 squad members was killed and 4 were injured when a training course went awry. A claymore mine was pointed in the wrong direction when it detonated during a training course. The members of the squad in question were not following proper safety procedure at the time, and Major Darryl Watts is to blame, as he was in charge at the time.

This case is particularly interesting me, because I am considering joining the Canadian Reserves as a part time job, starting in April. Hearing about incidents like this are concerning, but I am only planning on joining for a part time position, so I'm not as worried.

ATTACHED: Picture of a claymore mine.

Sharkwater

1) I think some of the Shark Finner's side of the story was omitted, for an example, it may be the only income that family has.  The message that Rob Stewart is trying to convey is a positive message, so I don't mind that he has biased his documentary in his favor.

2) Rob Stewart and his friends seem to be unaware of the conditions that some of these shark finners.

3) I agree with the message of Rob Stewart  because it's an environmental friendly message, which will help us create a sustainable future.

4) It was clearly biased twords Rob Stewart, like when it played calm music during the shark parts and showed sharks being very calm and 'cute', while only portraying the finners uglier scenarios.

5) I do not agree with the courts overruling of the Shark Fin  Ban. First of all, I do not agree with the fact that sharks are being finned in the first place, because I find it very cruel. Secondly, the fact that they are calling it culturally biased is completely nonsense because the person who proposed the ban in the first place was of Asian heritage.

Spellbound Questions

1. Because the director wants the viewers to feel attached to the competitors, so they can share and relate to their experiences.

2. The children the documentary followed each displayed different attitudes and religious beliefs. Another thing that made them stand out from each other was their different studying methods and routines.

3. I agree with the way that some of the children acted, because I understand that studying is the key to success, and the hard work payed off in the end.

4.I think it left out many aspects of the home and school life of the children, and some of the parents may be putting more pressure on their kids than is shown.

5. Depending on the environments the children were interviewed in, I could make various judgement about each child.

News and Bias questions

1. I think that although Karl Rove as clear ties to the republican party, it is acceptable that he has been hired by Fox News because they are known to be very right wing. People who watch Fox News are not expecting an un-biased opinion.

2. It is in Karl Rove's best interest to delay the call because if Romney wins he will get tax cuts.

3. Because Trump has a reputation to keep, but he is posting clearly biased and immature tweets. It is evident that he is right wing and upset about Obama's victory.

Definition of Meme

1.

A meme ( /ˈmiːm/; meem)^[1] is "an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."^[2] A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate and respond to selective pressures.^[3]

The word meme is a shortening (modeled on gene) of mimeme (from Ancient Greek μίμημα Greek pronunciation: [míːmɛːma] mīmēma, "something imitated", from μιμεῖσθαιmimeisthai, "to imitate", from μῖμος mimos "mime")^[4] and it was coined by the British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene (1976)^[1][5] as a concept for discussion of evolutionary principles in explaining the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. Examples of memes given in the book included melodies, catch-phrases, fashion and the technology of building arches.^[6]

Proponents theorize that memes may evolve by natural selection in a manner analogous to that of biological evolution. Memes do this through the processes of variation, mutation,competition and inheritance, each of which influence a meme's reproductive success. Memes spread through the behaviors that they generate in their hosts. Memes that propagateless prolifically may become extinct, while others may survive, spread and (for better or for worse) mutate. Memes that replicate most effectively enjoy more success, and some may replicate effectively even when they prove to be detrimental to the welfare of their hosts.^[7]

A field of study called memetics^[8] arose in the 1990s to explore the concepts and transmission of memes in terms of an evolutionary model. Criticism from a variety of fronts has challenged the notion that academic study can examine memes empirically. However, developments in neuroimaging may make empirical study possible.^[9] Some commentators^[who?] question the idea that one can meaningfully categorize culture in terms of discrete units. Others, including Dawkins himself, have argued that this usage of the term is the result of a misunderstanding of the original proposal.^[10]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

2.

A meme is a popular reference that can be in the form of an image or text. Memes spread quickly because of how popular they are, and they usually have comedic value. They're like inside jokes that everyone understands.

3.

4.
This meme is called FBF or, Foul Bachelor Frog. Originating from 4chan (as most memes did), Foul Bachelor Frog represents the lifestyle of a Bachelor who is particularly unhygienic,lazy and foul. I can relate to this meme because I'm quite lazy. I'm not unhygienic though, I swear.

Trend Tracking

The trend that my group (Me, Kieran, Sami, Elijah) has chosen is Apple products. We will present our assignment in a PowerPoint presentation. The target audience we will be looking at is teenagers.

2 Questions about Media Trends

WTFU 2012 (Obama campaign).

1. Some of the different techniques used to inform, attract and entertain viewers are using a celebrity, using a juxtaposition and using comedy. The celebrity used is Samuel L. Jackson, who is quite popular with many different groups of people. The juxtaposition used in this (soon to be) media trend is the fact that Dr. Suess's nursery rhyme style is put side by side with Samuel L. Jackson's profane language. When Samuel L. Jackson pops up in random places inside the household, it's a shock but it's also funny, which entertains viewers.

2. One of the messages communicated is that Obama is the better choice for a middle class nuclear family like the one that is portrayed in the video, which is the whole point of this video/campaign. Another message that the video sends across is that Romney's campaign choices will affect people of every age group in a negative way.

Trend Tracking

1. N/A

2. 5 current trends

i) iPhone

ii) Snapbacks

iii) Jansport backpacks

iv) Twitter

v) Jordans 

3.

i) The iPhone's target audience is teenagers/young adults because the phone allows users to access social media sites, while still maintaining the basic functions of texting and calling.

ii) The target audience for snapback hats are teens, because the hats are stylish because they portray sports team logos and team colors.

iii) Jansport backpacks are targeted at students, because they are stylish backpacks. Most students like being stylish while also practical, which is why Jansport backpacks are a hit.

iv) Twitter's target audience is anybody who has a social life or uses other social media sites. Twitter allows people to talk to their friends or 'tweet' and share updates easily with anybody using twitter. Twitter also helps celebrities speak to their fans en masse.

v) The target audience for Jordans are people who play basketball and teens, usually guys. While the Jordan is a basketball shoe, they have evolved into a culture and a style that many teens and some adults follow.

4. I have purchased Levis slim jeans because they were trendy. I often see people wearing them and I think that they look stylish in them, so I purchased my own pair.

PSA Comparison

Many things have changed since the PSAs "Are you Popular?" and "Dating Dos and Don'ts". In both of the PSAs, all of the actors being played as examples are Caucasian and middle class citizens. If either PSA was aired in our time and day they would receive harsh criticism for only displaying a certain type of person. Another big difference between the scenarios portrayed in the PSAs and scenarios in our modern day society is the lack of technology. Pretty much everything, from dating techniques and the language style would be different these days.

6 Media Questions, Sexting

http://www.athinline.org/

1. Who made - and who sponsored - this message, and for what purpose? - MTV sponsored the message, for the purpose of educating young teens on digital rights, cyber bullying and sexting.
2. Who is the target audience, and how is the message specifically tailored to them? - The target audience is teens/young teens. The message is specifically tailored to them because the questions in the quiz relate to situations that teens may find themselves in. Also, the site's message is reinforced by many celebrities and icons that teens can recognize and maybe even relate to. The site uses spelling and grammar that is commonly used in text messages, which lets teens relate even further.
3. What are the different techniques used to inform, persuade, entertain, and attract attention? - Some of the techniques used to attract attention are using celebrities to back up the message, and allowing the quiz to be shared by viewers on common social media sites.
4. What messages are communicated (and/or implied) about certain people, places, events, behaviors, lifestyles, etc.? - It is implied that every teen has a cellphone and a computer, and accesses social media sites. The questions are more tailored to people who are heterosexual, and are in a relationship/pursuing a relationship.
5. How current, accurate, and credible is the information in this message? - The message is quite current because it is related to technology such as cellphones, which nearly every teen has. The message is credible because MTV is a well known & trusted organization, which has a record of reaching out to teens.
6. What is left out of this message that might be important to know?

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/

1. Who made - and who sponsored - this message, and for what purpose? - The video is made by Common Sense. The purpose of the video "The Truth About Sexting" is to educate parents about sexting, in hopes that they can talk to their child/young teen about it.
2. Who is the target audience, and how is the message specifically tailored to them? - The target audience is parents of young teens, or young teens themselves. The message is specifically tailored to parents because it will give him tips about raising their children correctly, and it's specifically tailored to teens because it talks about positions that they may find themselves in sometime.
3. What are the different techniques used to inform, persuade, entertain, and attract attention? - One of the techniques used to inform the parents is giving examples of sexting that has been troublesome to young teens in the past.
4. What messages are communicated (and/or implied) about certain people, places, events, behaviors, lifestyles, etc.? - It's implied that viewers will either have young teen offspring with phones, or phones themselves. It is assumed that the teens are up to par with current technology.
5. How current, accurate, and credible is the information in this message? - The information is accurate, current and credible. The message is accurate because many teens are sexting and finding themselves wishing they hadn't. The message is credible because it comes from a website that many parents use to find tips for raising their children and young teens better. The message is quite current, because many teens own cellphones or computers and access social media sites.
6. What is left out of this message that might be important to know? - That sexting at a young age may be considered sharing child porn, and can lead to involvement of the law.

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