THE PROPAGANDA MODEL
a. Noam Chomsky
b. The “Propaganda Model” states that there are five different classes which are ownership of the media, funding sources, sourcing, flak, and anti-communist ideology. The Propaganda Model tries to explain mass media in terms of structural economic causes.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
MEDIA EXPERIMENT: Group #2: SELF SURVEILLED
Part One:
24 Hours: Surveying the surveillance: Friday 04/30/2010
Having a discussion on Friday mornings, I woke up early in the morning to the sounds of my suitemates up and about. As I walk out of my room I am being observed by security cameras in my building, then the security cameras in the bus, the by the other students that are also on their way to class, and then by the security cameras in the building my discussion takes place in. On my way back home, again I am observed by the security cameras in the building as I exit, in the bus, and in my building. Once I am home, I am tracked once I go online to check my email, when I make a phone call to my parents, and receive and reply to some text messages. The rest of the day I am being observed by the security cameras from my building, as well as when I go to the dinning commons.
48 Hours: survey yourself: Saturday 05/01/2010
Since I am living in the dorms with a roommate and 3 other people, I do not have any time “in private” because I am always around one of them, or I am in class, on my way to class, or on my way home from class. Since I take the bus to get to campus, I am also observed on my way to and from classes. The only "private" time I really have is when I use the restroom and when I am in the shower.
Part Two:
a. From this experiment, I realized that the actual “privacy” that we think we have is nonexistent. We are being targeted by all forms of media whether we notice it or not, and sometimes it is through a simple text message or a phone call home.
b. Being in public changed my actions because it made me a lot more self conscious of what I am doing and who is or will be looking at me doing whatever it is that I am doing. This exercise was difficult for me because I was not sure of what I could write about or take pictures of since I was never “in private”.
c. Media plays a role in my sense of a private self by the shows I watch on TV or online, the news articles I read. Media plays a role in my sense of a public self through where I go to eat, how I dress when I exit my room, how I walk and talk to others.
24 Hours: Surveying the surveillance: Friday 04/30/2010
Having a discussion on Friday mornings, I woke up early in the morning to the sounds of my suitemates up and about. As I walk out of my room I am being observed by security cameras in my building, then the security cameras in the bus, the by the other students that are also on their way to class, and then by the security cameras in the building my discussion takes place in. On my way back home, again I am observed by the security cameras in the building as I exit, in the bus, and in my building. Once I am home, I am tracked once I go online to check my email, when I make a phone call to my parents, and receive and reply to some text messages. The rest of the day I am being observed by the security cameras from my building, as well as when I go to the dinning commons.
48 Hours: survey yourself: Saturday 05/01/2010Since I am living in the dorms with a roommate and 3 other people, I do not have any time “in private” because I am always around one of them, or I am in class, on my way to class, or on my way home from class. Since I take the bus to get to campus, I am also observed on my way to and from classes. The only "private" time I really have is when I use the restroom and when I am in the shower.
Part Two:
a. From this experiment, I realized that the actual “privacy” that we think we have is nonexistent. We are being targeted by all forms of media whether we notice it or not, and sometimes it is through a simple text message or a phone call home.
b. Being in public changed my actions because it made me a lot more self conscious of what I am doing and who is or will be looking at me doing whatever it is that I am doing. This exercise was difficult for me because I was not sure of what I could write about or take pictures of since I was never “in private”.
c. Media plays a role in my sense of a private self by the shows I watch on TV or online, the news articles I read. Media plays a role in my sense of a public self through where I go to eat, how I dress when I exit my room, how I walk and talk to others.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Media Experiment: Group #2 Self-Surveilled
24 Hour Observations: Saturday, May 1 2010
I felt that I was being tracked/observed when:
~I woke up and turned on my computer, accessed the internet, and logged into my email.
~Inside of my apartment complex's office.
~On the bus going to campus.
~At the ARC, both in the front area and inside the gym.
~Driving by intersections.
~At the gas station.
~In the Safeway Parking lot and inside of the store.
~Paying for groceries with my debit card at the cash register.
Part 2: 48 Hour Observations- Pictures of Private Life Made Public
(Listed in the order shown on the left)
~Sleeping in bed and waking up in the morning.
~Washing up and brushing teeth.
~Potty.
~Getting dressed and ready to go out to school.
~Homework...
~Video games.
~Eating food at home.
~Practicing the ukulele.
A). In terms of privacy and my relationship to media, I learned that the only place where I can ever really have any sort of privacy is at my own home. The second I walk outside into the public I am susceptible to many forms of surveillance, ranging from the observation of other people to mechanical devices such as cameras that track space and time. Furthermore, in relation to media, I have concluded that socialization and privacy are the fundamental extremes by which I live my daily life. If I become open to social exposure, ie. the second I turn on my laptop and access the internet, I lose my privacy. On the other hand, if I maintain privacy and do whatever activities on my own, in my own home with nobody else around, I am most likely under no surveillance.
B). The act of being public changes my actions simply because it creates a certain level of self-consciousness, which can ironically be unconscious to my own psyche, as I become vulnerable to social judgement. Some mannerisms in my private life may be criticized or unacceptable within my organized civilization. Along with that, there is a certain drive to portray the most positive image of oneself as possible, especially when under the surveillance of peers. In today's media and technology, the potential to manipulate, reveal and conceal, is easier and more accessible than ever.
C). In my everyday life, media is essentially an outlet to be public. Media functions to reveal and display. Whether it be on my email or on social networking, media takes out any privacy as it is a tool for communication. My private life, then, is completely separate from media. Being public isn't all bad though. For example, when I want to share my stories and life with family and friends, media allows me that connection when face to face contact isn't possible.
Dictionary-
J.L Austin- (1911-1960)
How to do Things with Words
He came up with a concept that words do more than state verifiable things (constative function), but that words themselves are a form of action, because sometimes words make things happen (performative function). An example of such a command would be “close the door”, or being at a wedding when they say “I do” the couple is going from a state of being unmarried to married.
fearroyo on Critical Concepts Dictionary
Ferdinard Saussure.
Developed theory of semiotics “’A science that studies the life of signs within society’” (the study of the impact cultural symbols have in a society) that in turn provided a context to label an item as signifier, or a sign, or even both.
refer to week 4 readings.
Developed theory of semiotics “’A science that studies the life of signs within society’” (the study of the impact cultural symbols have in a society) that in turn provided a context to label an item as signifier, or a sign, or even both.
refer to week 4 readings.
Dictionary: Karl Marx
a)
Karl Marx
(Manifestoon. Noam Chomsky.)
b)
The Marxist approach is used heavily in critiques of media; it is also the basis for Noam Chomsky's philosophy as present in The Propaganda Model.
In an Marxist approach, the emphasis is on class struggle in society. The society is considered to be divided into two classes: the elite (referred to as "bourgeoisie" by Marx) and the rest of the society, which makes the majority of the population (refereed to as "proletarians" by Marx). The bourgeoisie maintain their status/class in the hierarchy by exerting control over the majority/the mass-- these controls include social control, economic control, political control, among other means of control.
While the bourgeoisie are the ones with power, and the ones maintaining status quo, they are also controlled by the same mechanism of control exerted over the majority/the mass (that is, these social, economical, and political control hold power over everyone in the society-- not just the majority/the mass).
Karl Marx
(Manifestoon. Noam Chomsky.)
b)
The Marxist approach is used heavily in critiques of media; it is also the basis for Noam Chomsky's philosophy as present in The Propaganda Model.
In an Marxist approach, the emphasis is on class struggle in society. The society is considered to be divided into two classes: the elite (referred to as "bourgeoisie" by Marx) and the rest of the society, which makes the majority of the population (refereed to as "proletarians" by Marx). The bourgeoisie maintain their status/class in the hierarchy by exerting control over the majority/the mass-- these controls include social control, economic control, political control, among other means of control.
While the bourgeoisie are the ones with power, and the ones maintaining status quo, they are also controlled by the same mechanism of control exerted over the majority/the mass (that is, these social, economical, and political control hold power over everyone in the society-- not just the majority/the mass).
Self-Surveillance
Part One: 24-Hour Tracking Observations--Saturday, May 1
Saturday was a fun-filled day for electronic tracking. In the morning I ate breakfast at the dining commons where they took my identification card and swiped it through the machine. On my way out from breakfast I decided to check the mail where I found a security camera. Walking back to my dorm I saw another surveillance camera located on the top of the building that was used to monitor the construction going on next door. I later went to an ATM to deposit a check. I went to Rite-Aid where there was another surveillance camera upon my entrance into the store. I used my debit card to pay for my bag of M&M's and shampoo.
Part Two: 48-Hour Self Surveillance
Day One: Sunday, May 2
10:00am: Good morning, Davis! Off to eat breakfast.
10:45am: Brush teeth! :D
12:00pm: Read Harry Potter (instead of studying)
3:00pm: Go to Arboretum to study.
10:00pm: Watch "Hey Arnold!" and go to sleep.
Day Two: Monday, May 3
9:00am: Wake up!
10:45am: Pack snacks for class.
10:55am: Go to class.
3:00pm: Studying.
7:00pm: Shower.
a) From this exercise I realized how much I am being watched while doing simple, daily activities such as checking the mail and buying M&M's. I did not notice that every time I swiped my card at the dining commons or made a withdrawal from my debit card that I would be electronically tracked and surveyed. I learned that my relationship between my own privacy and the media is not completely voluntary, and that every day without permission cameras and other tracking devices are taking note of my whereabouts.
b) Being public has an effect on my actions, especially when I am publicly alone. I feel more self-conscious which affects the way I do little things like walk, hold my purse, and stand at a crosswalk. This exercise was difficult at times because I would be doing daily activities like going to my bike or going into the bathroom to brush my teeth and I would take a picture of those things which felt really unnatural. However, if I adapted a self-surveillance way of life, like Hasan Elahi, taking pictures of these everyday actions would not feel so abnormal.
c) In my everyday life, media plays a role in both my private and public life. An example is that in my private life, it plays a role in how I discover and access different forms of media like music and films. In my public life, it plays a role in communicating and sharing those types of discoveries to my friends through media-networking. When immersed in the world of media a public persona can be considered to be able to establish a boundary between their lives of public media and private media.
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