Tuesday 26 April 2011
Task 1
At the beginning of skins we instantly see that the young teenage girls are represented as to be sexual objects and infact seen to be the dominant force. This is connoted by the teenage girls smoking and by the way they looked at other people, which made them look superior to others. In skins the girls are seen to be challenging stereotypes as they are shown to be violent because it shows them hitting another person which goes against a typical teenage girl stereotype. The males are seen to be abit opposite to the girls as they are seen to be much more calmer and laid back, which shows that skins completley challenges gender stereotypes.In the trailer of Bully the males were seen to be more dominant as they were portrayed to be the active and aggressive characters shown through kicking boxes. Through the use of the male protagonist using weapons shows that teenagers are primarily torublesome and want to inflict pain on other people. In both texts, they portray teenagers to be selfish and carry out illegal acts, such as smoking illegal substances or using weapons.Also, in both texts it is apparant that teenagers are inflicting pain on each other creating the idea that teenagers are complying with gang voilence.
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Representation Essay
Representation could be explained by how groups, events, places and experiences are represented in media texts. Representations is also influenced by the cultural, political and social contexts in which they are produced.The media texts which my case study is about is the representation of black males in US hip hop music videos, this may be an example as they support the point of view of reflecting social and political concerns. This is because US hip hop music videos reflect the issue of black artists as violent and negative as they are shown committing crime for example one of the texts I am exploring is 50 cents music video Many Men which instantly shows from the beginning black men shooting one another, in the other texts i am looking at can also show similarities of this violent portrayal of black males in US hip hop music videos for example Snoop Doggs Music video Lay Low as it shows black males smoking wee which once again shows a negative representation.
This is an issue which has been widely debated and talked about in the contemporary years. Therefore the argument suggests that media representations may reflect social concerns because most black males are portrayed like this is in most hip hop music videos.
Laura Mulvey ( 1975: Visual Pleasure & Narrative Cinema) argues that the audience that consume these media representations look at women in these media text in two ways voyeuristically and fetishistically for example in a cinema men observe women in a media text voyeuristically as they are not being washed by the women being represented neither are they being watched by the following audience also consuming the media text as the cinema is dark. This gives rise to a concern depending on the way the audience interpret these media text could lead to the objectification of women in the media. This could be a concern of the age as women are powerless to defend themselves due to the whole concept of voyeurism and them just being watched through the ‘male gaze’These texts may have more then just one political and social concern. This may also connote the idea of ethnic minorities taking control over certain places because in Snoop Doggs Lay Low it shows that the majority of black people to be superior to others, this is also backed up by the use of camera shots tilting up towards them making them look like they are in controll of everything. This is a major concern for the youth around the world as they may aspire to be like these Black hip hop artists so they may see crime and drugs as a positive thing due to the fact that they're 'idols' are doing the same.
In terms of print platforms, newspapers are key when considering social and political concerns to do with representations. This is due to them having an input on the nation and what people maybe seen as a political or social problem. As newspapers have to report real life issues, therefore their representations will likely to be linked with social and political concerns of that age as they have to report recent news.
For example crime that has occurred, this maybe a political or social concern and newspapers are likely to report it. However newspapers may also report positive aspects among Black hip hop artists which aren't current social and political issues. Such as these artists donating the money they make to give back to charity, which can be shown in this article http://www.looktothestars.org/news/347-snoop-dogg-donates-concert-fees-to-grief-support-charity . This will reflect Black hip hop artists positively, therefore won't reflect political and social concerns.
Magazines contrast with newspapers, as they don't look at real life issues as much. They focus more on an ideal world and celebrities. The majority of magazines look to target teenagers as they are seen as vulnerable targets, therefore they can view them in a positive way in order to appeal to them. Also magazines which don't target teenagers don't usually refer to political and social concerns but put more emphasis on advice or products to buy.
Overall magazines targeted at teens don't reflect political and social concerns of the age it was created as it focuses on the media such as TV shows. Furthermore when issues are mentioned they're usually ridiculing celebrities which isn't seen as a major political or social concern.
Economically, media texts use representations to focus on current issues by reflecting characters in situtations that are linked to political and social concerns.For example TV soaps may show people who are struggling financially, this may bring people to comfort as it shows that the recessions effects nearly everyone.
This is an issue which has been widely debated and talked about in the contemporary years. Therefore the argument suggests that media representations may reflect social concerns because most black males are portrayed like this is in most hip hop music videos.
Laura Mulvey ( 1975: Visual Pleasure & Narrative Cinema) argues that the audience that consume these media representations look at women in these media text in two ways voyeuristically and fetishistically for example in a cinema men observe women in a media text voyeuristically as they are not being washed by the women being represented neither are they being watched by the following audience also consuming the media text as the cinema is dark. This gives rise to a concern depending on the way the audience interpret these media text could lead to the objectification of women in the media. This could be a concern of the age as women are powerless to defend themselves due to the whole concept of voyeurism and them just being watched through the ‘male gaze’These texts may have more then just one political and social concern. This may also connote the idea of ethnic minorities taking control over certain places because in Snoop Doggs Lay Low it shows that the majority of black people to be superior to others, this is also backed up by the use of camera shots tilting up towards them making them look like they are in controll of everything. This is a major concern for the youth around the world as they may aspire to be like these Black hip hop artists so they may see crime and drugs as a positive thing due to the fact that they're 'idols' are doing the same.
In terms of print platforms, newspapers are key when considering social and political concerns to do with representations. This is due to them having an input on the nation and what people maybe seen as a political or social problem. As newspapers have to report real life issues, therefore their representations will likely to be linked with social and political concerns of that age as they have to report recent news.
For example crime that has occurred, this maybe a political or social concern and newspapers are likely to report it. However newspapers may also report positive aspects among Black hip hop artists which aren't current social and political issues. Such as these artists donating the money they make to give back to charity, which can be shown in this article http://www.looktothestars.org/news/347-snoop-dogg-donates-concert-fees-to-grief-support-charity . This will reflect Black hip hop artists positively, therefore won't reflect political and social concerns.
Magazines contrast with newspapers, as they don't look at real life issues as much. They focus more on an ideal world and celebrities. The majority of magazines look to target teenagers as they are seen as vulnerable targets, therefore they can view them in a positive way in order to appeal to them. Also magazines which don't target teenagers don't usually refer to political and social concerns but put more emphasis on advice or products to buy.
Overall magazines targeted at teens don't reflect political and social concerns of the age it was created as it focuses on the media such as TV shows. Furthermore when issues are mentioned they're usually ridiculing celebrities which isn't seen as a major political or social concern.
Economically, media texts use representations to focus on current issues by reflecting characters in situtations that are linked to political and social concerns.For example TV soaps may show people who are struggling financially, this may bring people to comfort as it shows that the recessions effects nearly everyone.
Tuesday 22 March 2011
Media Essay Plan
Digital media has changed the nature of media products and the ways in which we consume them.’
Who do you think benefits most – audiences or producers?
Audiences-
· Makes it easier because of new and digital media.
· Audiences are now made to feel as if they are producers through the websites such as youtube as you are in total control of what to produce. This makes audiences more active because they are able to voice and express their views and opinions.
· Introduction of E-Media and social networking sites have become a part of people’s daily lives which shows that it gratifies the audiences.
· Audiences have freedom of speech
· Introduction of online news means that the audiences can now choose when and what time they want to consume the news which is also free and easily accessible.
Producers
· Advertising on the internet is a way for producers to make money as they could advertise to appeal to specific audiences.
· Producers also benefit by adapting to the way things have changed so they can compete with other companies.
Tuesday 25 January 2011
Key Quotes on New and Digital Media
Marxism- ‘the theory of the communists capitalist production therefore develops technologies and the combining together of various processes into a social whole’ source- Marxism and media studies (Mike Wayne 2003)
Gramsci and Hegemony- ‘'Consent must be constantly won and rewon, for people's material social experience constantly reminds them of the disadvantages of subordination and thus poses a threat to the dominant class’. Source- aber.ac.uk/media
Post Modernity-‘ The media are dominating our culture. We live in the information age, not only because of the internet, but because of TV channels, radio-channels, newspapers, magazines and books’ Article by (Andreas Saugstad)
Noam Chomsky-Hegemony-‘ Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the U.S. media’ Book- Turning the Tide 1985
Noam Chomsky- Censorship is never over for those who have experienced it. It is a brand on the imagination that affects the individual who has suffered it, forever’
Globalisation-’We cannot wait for governments to do it all. Globalization operates on Internet time. Governments tend to be slow moving by nature, because they have to build political support for every step.” Kofi Annan (thinkexit.com)
Karl Marx- ‘The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas, i.e., the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time its ruling intellectual force’. (Marxism and Culture)
Marshall Mcluhan- ‘ All new media are extensions of some human faculty’ Book- Understanding Media
Liberal Pluralism- ‘ There are multiple independant, sometimes competing sources of authority over our lives’
Tuesday 7 December 2010
Articles on Males in Hip Hop music videos
Rap and Hip Hop music is usually consumed by teens and young adults. It is thought to be a more urban genre due to its content, which often describes living in poverty, gang activity, violence, drug use, and often also refers to rising above these things and achieving financial power and respect. The energy and power associated with these types of music is very attractive to American youth culture, and the rap industry is thriving and highly influential. This music is opposed by older generations for its offensive content, favorable positioning of violent conflict resolution, and blatant references to sex. African Americans may also oppose this type of music because it paints a very single minded, often derogatory picture of Black culture.
Eric K. Watts, in “An exploration of spectacular consumption: Gangsta rap as cultural commodity,” questioned why rap music is able to be marketed in this country despite its content, which is often deemed inappropriate. He notes that Gangsta rap narratives often discuss African American male identity and their social experience. These narratives talk about living in urban America and making ends meet. The demographic that identifies with this music is primarily urban, black youth. They relate with the references to ‘street’ as well as ‘indecent’ behaviors and understand the circumstances which drove their favorite artist to take part in the confrontations, illegal activities, and uplift material possessions. The idea of making ends meet is a desired theme of rap music fans and valued because it shows opportunity for everyone. Wearing similar jewelry and clothing, as well as owning CD’s from their favorite rapper, makes urban youth feel that they are one step closer to success and power and this group creates a huge market for cultural products of the rap industry.
Somehow this genre, which most would guess was alienating to a majority of the country, has gained mass appeal. When observed through a critical lens, one starts to notice that the issues discussed in rap narratives often coincide with larger American culture values such as consumerism and the love of material wealth. Young people in any demographic group are able to latch on to the common thread of materialism and rebellion and are then able to relate to rap music and its content. According to Watts, young people “can share in an artist’s attempt to ‘live large’ by replicating and consuming the imagery”. Those who live a life style similar to that which is referenced in rap music relate to the idea of the rapper being a product of the ‘street;’ but White American youth, as well as other demographics, are able to relate to this genre’s general principals, because rap songs have powerful messages that draw a mass audience in.
Watts refers to a term called spectacular consumption, which he claims leads Americans to “over-value, and sell the ‘street’ orientation”. Even though many young people may not live an urban lifestyle, the popularity of this culture causes youth to value it anyway. Rap music has achieved enough popularity and power to be considered ‘cool’ and sell. Watt argues that “hard-core rap artistry participates in a complex and fluid set of economic exchange relations among the lived experiences of artists, the operations of a consumer culture, and the dictates of rap music industry.” He also notes that racially provocative material sells and that black cultural artifacts are currently considered ‘trendy.’ Overall, the mass production of rap and hip hop music and the promotion of its products, coinciding with the values and messages of its artists, lead this genre to be one of the most consumed in American pop culture today
Rap music values masculinity and dominance. The masculinity expressed in and valued by rap music come from several sources. Antonia Randolph states that masculinity is, “shaped not only by dominant culture, but by the repression that characterizes society’s treatment of non-normative sexuality and gender.” The tendency of American culture to value heterosexuality and reject sensitive male behavior is highlighted within this type of music. Rap’s lyrics strongly discourage homosexual behavior; but by repressing and rejecting this behavior, this type of music often instigates conversation about alternative life styles. This ties in with the ideas of Foucault (1978) . Such strict boundary policing by this type of music has allowed artists to express non-normative expressions of masculinity as long as they continue to state the obvious values of heteronormativity and powerful male roles. In this way, the genre doesn’t totally alienate people with alternative views of masculinity. These ideas are expressed by Randolph in her article, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful: Black masculinity and alternative embodiment in rap music.” It seems that black youths tend to assimilate to the rap culture’s definition of Black masculinity if they begin to associate themselves with the artists and their struggles. Overall, the rap culture seems to be fairly pluralistic in nature. It tends to be Afro-centric and express pride in being African American while rejecting those African Americans that do not identify with the rap culture. This alienates potential fans of this music who are not African American. However, the spectacle of the genre, trendiness of Black culture, and the power and rebellion expressed in the lyrics of many songs gives white youth cause to continue to listen to this music. Often, this genre dispels women, because there is a strong male dominance within this music and often women are seen as objects. In music videos for this genre women are usually props and in the lyrics of these songs women are over sexualized and easily won over by money and gifts.
Overall, a rich niche group exists that relates to the content of this music, which tends to value African Americans as a group. On the other hand, the genre has experienced great popularity and pull with many young people who may not relate as easily because the culture valued by rap artists and their lyrics has been deemed cool and therefore being a rap fan is cool. Hip Hop still has a great impact on society even though it’s lyrics often contain content that applies more to those who live an urban lifestyle. It is so commonly played on pop radio stations that its influence is widespread and its appeal goes across many races and socioeconomic groups. Because the artists rap about going from having nothing to having money and power these desires in listeners draw them into this type of music.
Just a few years ago, the world was introduced to the music sensation that was Eminem. Not only were people shocked to see a white man attempting to succeed in a genre of music that was generally reserved as a place for African-American success, but people were also appalled by the violent, anti-female content of many of his songs. However, as Gilbert Rodman outlines in his article “Race…and Other Four Letter Words: Eminem and the Cultural Politics of Authenticity,” the outrage that was directed specifically at Eminem was particularly contentious because what the rapper was seeking to do was essentially blurring the racial lines that exist within popular music
As Rodman points out, we typically like to think of types and genres of music along strict racial lines. Certain types of music are classified as “black” types of music and other types of music are thought to be “white” types of music. For example, country music is thought to be the domain of white artists, while rap and hip hop is typically believed to be dominated by black music artists. However, this approach to music neglects to take into account music’s diverse history. As Rodman states, “[j]azz, for instance, commonly gets pegged as ‘Black music’ despite the fact that early jazz drew heavily on the instrumental structures of European military marching bands. Similarly, rock has come to be widely understood as ‘White music’ despite the central roles that the blues, R&B, and Black gospel all played in its birth” (Rodman, 2006). What got people so up in arms about Eminem was the fact that he was a white man who was actually achieving success in a traditionally black field and challenging our long held beliefs about race. Eminem was attempting (and somewhat succeeding at) to break down the hegemonic structure of racial politics currently at play, and that made us rather uncomfortable.
Performing in a musical genre whose racial identity did not match his own also placed Eminem at another decided disadvantage. It seems as though the general public is much quicker to get upset at offensive lyrics if they come from a rap (and typically black) artist. For instance, people have no qualms with a song by Eric Clapton that proclaims how “I Shot the Sheriff,” but Ice-T rapping about being a “Cop Killer” is all of a sudden attacked as being a signifier of the downfall of American society as we know it. For this very reason, many of Eminem’s songs have been critically derided for the messages that they contain. Not only is Eminem burdened by the fact that his musical performance already causes discomfort on the basis of his breaking free of hegemony, but he is also performing in a music genre that is routinely bombarded by critics, more so than any other. Despite all of these disadvantages though, Eminem has been able to achieve a good deal of success with his music, but his career is still a prime example of critical race theory at work in today’s culture.
Although the height of Eminem’s popularity could probably be pinpointed to a few years ago, these racial politics are still very much present in the year 2009. Granted, the music world is occasionally witness to genre (and consequently, racial) crossovers, such as the recent success of the single “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo and Imogen Heap or the highly anticipated single featuring Beyonce and Lady Gaga, but this is still far from the norm. We are still apt to view musical acts to only be eligible to perform within certain genres depending on the color of their skin. Perhaps in the future, race will play as big of a role in the music industry, but for now, who would be able to imagine Kanye West singing country music?
Eric K. Watts, in “An exploration of spectacular consumption: Gangsta rap as cultural commodity,” questioned why rap music is able to be marketed in this country despite its content, which is often deemed inappropriate. He notes that Gangsta rap narratives often discuss African American male identity and their social experience. These narratives talk about living in urban America and making ends meet. The demographic that identifies with this music is primarily urban, black youth. They relate with the references to ‘street’ as well as ‘indecent’ behaviors and understand the circumstances which drove their favorite artist to take part in the confrontations, illegal activities, and uplift material possessions. The idea of making ends meet is a desired theme of rap music fans and valued because it shows opportunity for everyone. Wearing similar jewelry and clothing, as well as owning CD’s from their favorite rapper, makes urban youth feel that they are one step closer to success and power and this group creates a huge market for cultural products of the rap industry.
Somehow this genre, which most would guess was alienating to a majority of the country, has gained mass appeal. When observed through a critical lens, one starts to notice that the issues discussed in rap narratives often coincide with larger American culture values such as consumerism and the love of material wealth. Young people in any demographic group are able to latch on to the common thread of materialism and rebellion and are then able to relate to rap music and its content. According to Watts, young people “can share in an artist’s attempt to ‘live large’ by replicating and consuming the imagery”. Those who live a life style similar to that which is referenced in rap music relate to the idea of the rapper being a product of the ‘street;’ but White American youth, as well as other demographics, are able to relate to this genre’s general principals, because rap songs have powerful messages that draw a mass audience in.
Watts refers to a term called spectacular consumption, which he claims leads Americans to “over-value, and sell the ‘street’ orientation”. Even though many young people may not live an urban lifestyle, the popularity of this culture causes youth to value it anyway. Rap music has achieved enough popularity and power to be considered ‘cool’ and sell. Watt argues that “hard-core rap artistry participates in a complex and fluid set of economic exchange relations among the lived experiences of artists, the operations of a consumer culture, and the dictates of rap music industry.” He also notes that racially provocative material sells and that black cultural artifacts are currently considered ‘trendy.’ Overall, the mass production of rap and hip hop music and the promotion of its products, coinciding with the values and messages of its artists, lead this genre to be one of the most consumed in American pop culture today
Rap music values masculinity and dominance. The masculinity expressed in and valued by rap music come from several sources. Antonia Randolph states that masculinity is, “shaped not only by dominant culture, but by the repression that characterizes society’s treatment of non-normative sexuality and gender.” The tendency of American culture to value heterosexuality and reject sensitive male behavior is highlighted within this type of music. Rap’s lyrics strongly discourage homosexual behavior; but by repressing and rejecting this behavior, this type of music often instigates conversation about alternative life styles. This ties in with the ideas of Foucault (1978) . Such strict boundary policing by this type of music has allowed artists to express non-normative expressions of masculinity as long as they continue to state the obvious values of heteronormativity and powerful male roles. In this way, the genre doesn’t totally alienate people with alternative views of masculinity. These ideas are expressed by Randolph in her article, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful: Black masculinity and alternative embodiment in rap music.” It seems that black youths tend to assimilate to the rap culture’s definition of Black masculinity if they begin to associate themselves with the artists and their struggles. Overall, the rap culture seems to be fairly pluralistic in nature. It tends to be Afro-centric and express pride in being African American while rejecting those African Americans that do not identify with the rap culture. This alienates potential fans of this music who are not African American. However, the spectacle of the genre, trendiness of Black culture, and the power and rebellion expressed in the lyrics of many songs gives white youth cause to continue to listen to this music. Often, this genre dispels women, because there is a strong male dominance within this music and often women are seen as objects. In music videos for this genre women are usually props and in the lyrics of these songs women are over sexualized and easily won over by money and gifts.
Overall, a rich niche group exists that relates to the content of this music, which tends to value African Americans as a group. On the other hand, the genre has experienced great popularity and pull with many young people who may not relate as easily because the culture valued by rap artists and their lyrics has been deemed cool and therefore being a rap fan is cool. Hip Hop still has a great impact on society even though it’s lyrics often contain content that applies more to those who live an urban lifestyle. It is so commonly played on pop radio stations that its influence is widespread and its appeal goes across many races and socioeconomic groups. Because the artists rap about going from having nothing to having money and power these desires in listeners draw them into this type of music.
Just a few years ago, the world was introduced to the music sensation that was Eminem. Not only were people shocked to see a white man attempting to succeed in a genre of music that was generally reserved as a place for African-American success, but people were also appalled by the violent, anti-female content of many of his songs. However, as Gilbert Rodman outlines in his article “Race…and Other Four Letter Words: Eminem and the Cultural Politics of Authenticity,” the outrage that was directed specifically at Eminem was particularly contentious because what the rapper was seeking to do was essentially blurring the racial lines that exist within popular music
As Rodman points out, we typically like to think of types and genres of music along strict racial lines. Certain types of music are classified as “black” types of music and other types of music are thought to be “white” types of music. For example, country music is thought to be the domain of white artists, while rap and hip hop is typically believed to be dominated by black music artists. However, this approach to music neglects to take into account music’s diverse history. As Rodman states, “[j]azz, for instance, commonly gets pegged as ‘Black music’ despite the fact that early jazz drew heavily on the instrumental structures of European military marching bands. Similarly, rock has come to be widely understood as ‘White music’ despite the central roles that the blues, R&B, and Black gospel all played in its birth” (Rodman, 2006). What got people so up in arms about Eminem was the fact that he was a white man who was actually achieving success in a traditionally black field and challenging our long held beliefs about race. Eminem was attempting (and somewhat succeeding at) to break down the hegemonic structure of racial politics currently at play, and that made us rather uncomfortable.
Performing in a musical genre whose racial identity did not match his own also placed Eminem at another decided disadvantage. It seems as though the general public is much quicker to get upset at offensive lyrics if they come from a rap (and typically black) artist. For instance, people have no qualms with a song by Eric Clapton that proclaims how “I Shot the Sheriff,” but Ice-T rapping about being a “Cop Killer” is all of a sudden attacked as being a signifier of the downfall of American society as we know it. For this very reason, many of Eminem’s songs have been critically derided for the messages that they contain. Not only is Eminem burdened by the fact that his musical performance already causes discomfort on the basis of his breaking free of hegemony, but he is also performing in a music genre that is routinely bombarded by critics, more so than any other. Despite all of these disadvantages though, Eminem has been able to achieve a good deal of success with his music, but his career is still a prime example of critical race theory at work in today’s culture.
Although the height of Eminem’s popularity could probably be pinpointed to a few years ago, these racial politics are still very much present in the year 2009. Granted, the music world is occasionally witness to genre (and consequently, racial) crossovers, such as the recent success of the single “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo and Imogen Heap or the highly anticipated single featuring Beyonce and Lady Gaga, but this is still far from the norm. We are still apt to view musical acts to only be eligible to perform within certain genres depending on the color of their skin. Perhaps in the future, race will play as big of a role in the music industry, but for now, who would be able to imagine Kanye West singing country music?
Is reality becoming more real? The rise and rise of UGC
Citizen Journalist is when the audience are able to use new media technologies such as laptops, phones etc so people can catch live and exclusive footage on the news.
One of the first examples of news being generated by 'ordinary people' was through the use of video cameras in 1991. After being captured by the police following a high speed chase, Rodney King, an African-American was surrounded by police officers, who tasered him and beat him with clubs. The event was filmed by George Holliday, an onlooker from his apartment window. The home-video footage made prime-time news and became an international media sensation, and a focus for complaints about police racism towards African-Americans.
Message boards
Chat rooms,
Q&A, polls,
Have your says
Blogs with comments enabled (allow audience feedback and responses to news stories)
Social media sites (Bebo, MySpace, YouTube and Facebook).
UGC sites to access news: Wikipedia news, Google news and YouTube score highly in terms of where people go to get their news
A gatekeeper is a news organisation that decides which content provided by citizen journalists can be shown whether its appropriate or not.. in other words they're job is to filter the content for publication.
The role of the gatekeeper has changed as people who didn't have a voice before now do..such as youths, low income groups and other minorities.
one of the main concerns is the in the future future there will be fewer and fewer permanent trained staff at news organisations, leaving a smaller core staff who will manage and process UGC from citizen journalists, sometimes known as ‘crowd sourcing.’ Some believe that the mediators and moderators might eventually disappear too, leaving a world where the media is, finally, unmediated.
One of the first examples of news being generated by 'ordinary people' was through the use of video cameras in 1991. After being captured by the police following a high speed chase, Rodney King, an African-American was surrounded by police officers, who tasered him and beat him with clubs. The event was filmed by George Holliday, an onlooker from his apartment window. The home-video footage made prime-time news and became an international media sensation, and a focus for complaints about police racism towards African-Americans.
Message boards
Chat rooms,
Q&A, polls,
Have your says
Blogs with comments enabled (allow audience feedback and responses to news stories)
Social media sites (Bebo, MySpace, YouTube and Facebook).
UGC sites to access news: Wikipedia news, Google news and YouTube score highly in terms of where people go to get their news
A gatekeeper is a news organisation that decides which content provided by citizen journalists can be shown whether its appropriate or not.. in other words they're job is to filter the content for publication.
The role of the gatekeeper has changed as people who didn't have a voice before now do..such as youths, low income groups and other minorities.
one of the main concerns is the in the future future there will be fewer and fewer permanent trained staff at news organisations, leaving a smaller core staff who will manage and process UGC from citizen journalists, sometimes known as ‘crowd sourcing.’ Some believe that the mediators and moderators might eventually disappear too, leaving a world where the media is, finally, unmediated.
Tuesday 2 November 2010
Alternative Representation of Women in Hip Hop
This music video by beyonce above shows an alternative representation of women as beyonce is the main centre of attention and it seems to be she is in control of everything and she seems to have all the power for example on 1 minute 30 seconds in the video you can clearly see that she has a fan made of money which signifies her high status and position which is shown throughout the music video. The lyrics also had a major importance as it states 'a diva is a female version of a hustler', which could indicate women are now getting to the same level as men in the hip hop industry because many rappers refer to themselves as hustlers. In addition the women in the music video are at times shown to be sex objects however it is in there control as beyonce has decided not to reveal everything which once again shows her power.
Also referring to the clothing you can see in the video that at one point beyonce is dressed as a manly figure and the other two girls behind her are shown to dressed as sexy glamourous women which once again shows that she is in control of what she wants to wear and perhaps that she doesn't need male attention. Close up shots are used when beyonce is singing/rapping which illustrates her once again to be in power, Also the fact that beyonce decides to rap in the video is a major key factor because she normally sings and never raps, so to show her rapping once again shows that she has the authority to do whatever she wants and nobody can stop her. In addition throughout the whole music video you can see in the mise en scence not once you can see a male in the video which is very rare to find in hip hop videos as they are always dominated by men, which shows that it is men who are now the inferior.
The choreographing of the music video contradics the typical female dance routine as in this music video beyonce shows alot of attitude alot of the time shows the typical male attitude by the way she moves her hands and it seems to be very rough and masuline, you can also see from her facial expressions that not once she smiles which also occurs in male hip hop videos so you can see that beyonce has made an identical typical male hip hop video which shows another side to females.
Beyonce and the other two female dancers have dressed in a very powerful way as in the beginning of the video you can see that beyonce is wearing golden glasses which connotes her richness and power as the colour gold is seen to be very expensive, also the colour gold comes up again when she is surrounded by gold statues which once again connotes power and wealth, however this statues could also have another meaning such as they could be men in her eyes, and because they're all statues could indicate that she is in control because the 'men' cannot move or do anything about the fact that she is in control.
The other two dancers you can see are dressed in black in white throughout the whole video which could indicate many things as the colour white could be representing women as peaceful heavenly like human beings, however the fact that they are also wearing black could connote that they have a dark side and that women are not as innocent and quiet and that they can now voice their opinions. However even though the two dancers are seen to be wearing revealing themselves a little, also shows once again that they also control how much they reveal.
Some would argue that the females in the music video are trying to take up a males role by coming across as forceful and aggressive but I feel that they are just taking up an alternative representation in the hip-hop/rap industry and they are choosing not to be subordinated and treated like sex objects as they subverts the stereotype attached to females in the hip-hop/ rap industry as being just decoration that stand in the background looking pretty dancing away. They have chosen to not show too much flesh and use close up shots to emphasise their legs or chest and be objectified.
Overall in the hip hop industry for many years it has been dominated by males and the only place for females was to be sex objects or nothing else. However in todays society it has all changed as videos such as Beyonces Diva show that the patriarchy that use to take place has demolished and even artists now like Nikki Minaj has followed in beyonces footsteps and made music videos which shows her and women are now in power
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