Toronto, the Global City (Week 6W, Globalism)

We are fortunate to live in such a diverse city like Toronto. As residents of this great city we do not have to travel very far to visit Italy, Korea, Greece, India and China among other Countries. Globalization can be explained by the dispersion of people, culture, and businesses around the world. In regards to people and culture Toronto is the best example, according to statistics 49% of the residence were born elsewhere. The Caribana Parade is an annually planned event in its 40th year. The parade offers a chance for Caribbean Diasporas from Toronto and the surroundings areas to gather together and create the sense of being home. Not only does Caribana gather individuals from Toronto, it draws huge crowds from all over the world. It is estimated that The Caribana attracts over a million visitors each year mostly form the United States. One of the members of YouTube even mistook the CNE exhibition grounds to be Trinidad (a Canadian Flag was clearly visible) that is how real the sense home can be for this Diasporas. The Caribana also allows individuals from different cultures to become involved in the Caribbean culture it provides an opportunity to “sample” this culture for anyone who wishes to do so. The Caribana and other ethnic celebrations are great for everyone involved, but it should be noted that the more individuals from other cultures take part in the celebrations the more hybridized it may become. It may someday become “westernized”

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5qMYCPg1ZlE

IPODISKAHN! (Week 3W, Consumption)

The culture industry, Adorno and Horkheimer both argued that the culture industry has taken over our free time. Adorno even claimed that free time did not exist, free time to him was something created by the culture industry to give the masses a chance to recuperate before coming back to work again. If Adorno was around today I am sure he would be even more critical of the culture industry with the invention of the Ipod. According to sale reports, Apple has sold about 42 million Ipods since 2001. 42 million, that is more then the entire population of Canada!! The Ipod has allowed the culture industry to penetrate not only our “free time” but it has allowed the culture industry to conquer time in general. With the advancement of technology, there has been an increasing demand on us the workers to produce goods. The increased demand in labor has decreased the amount of time we have to recover. This is where the IPOD comes in to play, it let’s us consume popular music and movies just about anywhere and anytime. We can listen or watch our IPODs while traveling to and from work, during lunch breaks and even during bathroom breaks. There are many reports of individuals being victimized while using their IPODs in part because they were not aware of their surroundings. How can we as the working classes ever realize that we are being controlled by the culture industry when we are not even aware of our immediate surroundings?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4625262.stm

Overuse of Media and Tech can kill you, literally… (Week 7W, Trust)

We live in a world where the media has become a part of our lives. Everyday brings forth new technology which perpetuates our overuse of the media by allowing us to consume media anywhere and any time. Michael Bugeja in his article “Habits of a High-Tech age” argues that the over consumption of media and technology can lead to poorer interpersonal skills and can accelerate our biological clocks. I would like to note how much his theory is relevant today. More specifically his theory can be now further expanded to argue in light of new stories (a man dying from playing Starcraft) and instances that the overuse of the media and technology (focusing on computer games) will not only lead to a decrease in our interpersonal skills but now even personal skills.
One of the factors of losing interpersonal skills because of the overuse of the media has to do with the simple association of more media interaction = less people interaction. Time spent consuming the media could have been used to go out and socialize with your friends and or interact out in the real world with strangers. One could argue that computer games and especially the genre of MMORPG’s (Massive Multiplayer On-line Role Playing Games) does offer the individuals a setting to interact with other individuals and rightfully so but this virtual interaction can not apply to the real world. Interacting as the Commander of one of three races (two of which are not even human) does not allow you to use those skills in real life. In Starcraft there are unwritten rules about how one should interact with other individuals. There exists even language that players are expected to know and follow like GG= good game, GL= good luck, HF=have fun NR15= no rush 15 minutes. Starcraft does provide a setting for individuals to socially interact during games and when forming clans, but the individual who is immersed in the Starcraft world will have a harder time interacting in the real world. The acronyms gg, gl or ^^ (happy face?) ~~ does not apply to real life interactions.
Bugeja also notes in his article about how media and technology have blurred the boundaries between work and home. For some individuals in Korea (pro-gamers) their home is literally their work. Starcraft in Korea is like a sport, and like in any other sports their exists star players whom attract legions of die hard fans, can be seen as sex symbols and can earn as much (upwards of $500,000/year) as those playing your traditional sport. Following the sports analogies, these so called athletes must also train, just like any other athlete who makes a living from playing sports. The Starcraft athlete trains by being signed onto a Sponsor that assembles players with noteworthy skills and places them in a house similar to a fraternity. These players live in these houses and are expected to practice a good 6 hours a day, and when they are not playing they could be tuned into one of many gaming channels that are available in Korea. It is easy to see how a moderate use of media and technology like playing a computer game, can turn into a hobby, then it could turn into work and finally it turns into your life where it permeates everything from your social life, to how you live. In Canada they would be known as hardcore computer nerds but in Korea, they are in an entire different league. Not bad for playing a decade old computer game.
These gaming channels also add to the problem of overusing media and technology. Where the game offers limited amount of interaction, these gaming channels have eliminated that aspect of Starcraft. The gaming channels are broadcasted 24/7 and employ commentators as well as experts who analyze the game as it happens. The channels allow the individual who is immersed in the World of Starcraft to never leave the virtual community. Instead of going out with friends or interacting with the world after you have finished playing, the channels have the ability to pull the individual right back in, overusing media and technology even further.
Bugeja warns of the accelerating of the biological clock caused by the overuse of media and technology. The link provided below is an article that mentions a man in South Korea who died while playing Starcraft. The overuse of media and technology today no longer only impedes just your interpersonal skills but it can also cause you to neglect your personal skills. It is a scary thought that something as simple like Starcraft can be a direct cause of the death for an individual. This unfortunate soul was recently fired from his job (because he was playing Starcraft) and decided to visit an internet café where he could play Starcraft. He went on to play for 50 hours straight before collapsing due to heart failure. The overuse of media and technology caused this individual to neglect even the most powerful of biological needs. It fought off our evolutionary instinct to survive. These stories must make us realize and fear how much pull media and technology can have on our lives. It can accelerate our biological clock until it runs out and causes our death. Bugeja laments that the further we get carried away into using media and technology; there will be no turning back. Unfortunately I think we have reached that point.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=47GLuOd3QVk

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4137782.stm

PMS: Prehistoric Monster Syndrome (Week 1F, Introduction)

Computer technology combined with sites such as YouTube which allows for distribution of information and media, quick and easy reminds us of one of the fundamental issues in studying the media; to be analyzers and not just consumers. The media has been used by various governments to instill thoughts and beliefs that may not have been true (Propaganda) and if the government is the only source for news and ideas than the citizens of that country would adopt that belief system even if it may be false. The example here is a parody of the 1950’s government propaganda/educational videos that were common when the television was still in its infancy. This video is highly entertaining and a fun laugh for an individual who is familiar with menstruation but for those who don’t they could take this video somewhat seriously (minus the wear wolf transformation bit). Society has already placed a taboo on the discussion of menstruation, it is supposed to be kept a “secret” (tampon commercials that promote their products secretive powers), and this video could be a source for education for some young girls and boys. Imagine a young girl watching this clip without realizing that it is a parody, she could take away the behavioral aspects of PMS and could even fear going through menstruation because she could be transformed into a monster (quite extreme but possible) Internet allows for a wealth of information, and although it can be a good source we should be aware of the fact that some sources may have ulterior motives other than reporting objective information. As we are constantly reminded in classes, internet can be a good source of information but make sure you don’t rely on Joe’s Basement Mystery News.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mCwKbUVyHLY

Own a Mona Lisa for only $132.77 (Week 6F, Technology)

The Mona Lisa is undoubtedly the most famous piece of art in the world. You can not put a monetary value on this work created by Leonardo DaVinci; that is until now. Fineartprintsondemand.com provides mechanical reproduction of the most famous art for a measly $132.77 (US). The aura of the Mona Lisa has diminished substantially today compared to 1936 when Walter Benjamin wrote his article. Although the original still demands great authority, it gets diminished when you can have a version almost as the same quality right above your bed. Today’s technology can produce prints at levels that make it hard to distinguish it from the real painting unless you are an expert in the field of art. That takes away the impressiveness of the art, that a machine can produce many copies of the same thing and so quickly. Prints allow an individual to disfigure and destroy the art without much reprimand, how can an art command authority when a parent can just replace the art when a child smears red markers all over the print. There is also the questioning of it’s authenticity since these prints are of such high quality that layman would most likely not notice if the real thing was switched with a print at the Musee Louvre in Paris. So you say part of what makes the Mona Lisa so special and still commands a great deal of authority is the mystery behind her smile. Well a group of Canadian researchers using advanced technology believe that they have solved that mystery as well. According to their analysis they believe the reason for Mona Lisa’s smile is due to her being pregnant, technology has even taken that sense of mystery away from the Mona Lisa.

http://www.fineartprintsondemand.com/product.php?xc=53&yc=82&xi=20.9&yi=32.2&attr[2]=&attr[3]=&attr[5]=&attr[4]=&attr[6]=&action=1&product_id=148867&region=us

http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?tab=all&go=homepage&q=Mona+Lisa&scope=all

First video clip at the top right

World Cup: Creating Nations since 1958. (Week 5W, Community)

The newspaper was one of the first sources which created the notion of the imagined community. Today it has given way to new and more advanced technology such as the television in instilling a sense of nationalism. The World Cup offers us a look into how television and the world cup can instill nationalistic identities. The 2002 World Cup was the first time this event was held in Asia and it took place in Korea/Japan two collectivist countries compared to the West (individualistic). Major sporting events are one of the biggest sources of nationalism that does not involve catastrophic events such as war (some would classify losing the World Cup a catastrophic event), the sporting of a jersey (or a red shirt in Korea’s case) offers us unity and the feeling of being part of the nation. The World Cup gave the citizens of Korea a reason to unite and it instilled pride and a wanting to be Korean. It gave us the imagined community in that we could be sure almost every Korean would be tuned into the soccer game, celebrating the same moments, lamenting the same missed opportunities and sharing the feelings of joy, sadness, anxiety among others. However, while the newspaper could only be read by one single reader at a time, one television set can offer images to thousands and thousands of people simultaneously and this provides the opportunity for citizens to gather in the same place. The areas designated around Seoul provide such an example, instead of watching the event alone and imagining the rest of the nation, you can watch with many people together and imagine others doing the same thing and or by themselves. The television instills more nationalism since it allows for people to unite in a same location while maintaining the imagined community the newspapers offered.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HliB9VSxU28&mode=related&search=

So You Think You Can Gender (Week 10F, Performance)

The reality/dance show So You Think You Can Dance illustrates nicely, how much your performance rests on the acceptance by others. The chances of any participant going through to the next round depends on how well he or she performs his or her identity (is different for each style of dance and clothing) for the audience and the judges. However an interesting example of performing gender was shown by a contestant on the show who labeled “himself” a gender chameleon. To note, Jamie's (or Jesse) dance would not have been at a high enough level to be accepted into the next round but one of the judges made an interesting point. He commented that when it came to partners he would have to pair him up one day with a guy and the next day with a girl and was worried how his partners would react to this. As Silverstone mentioned gender is performative, and Jamie truly felt he could be both. As he reflected one day he feels like a man and another woman, but because his audience could not accept his performance (even if his dance abilities were of high level) he was punished. No matter how well he performs his role, society will not accept him as neither a man nor a woman. His identity was lost due to the lack of acceptance by the audience. What made this example stand out more than others was the vast audience that tuned into watched Jamie's performance. The audience did not just include the judges but the other dancers that were in the same theatre as well as each and single individual that tuned into watch the show, be it live or a re-run. Jamie now whether he likes it or not is going to be performing his gender and identity 24/7. Anytime that episode is aired on television, anytime the clip is played on the internet, there is going to be an audience judging his performance and deciding if they will accept him (her) or not.

http://www.fox.com/dance/

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6xdGy9iuPCM

Not the specific contestant but these are some sick dance moves!!

The “Magical” iPhone. (Week 6F, Technology)

The announcement of the iPhone is what the Digital age is all about. The idea of magic is quite present in the iPhone as Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple) makes several associations of magic with the iPhone, calling it a “magical device” and claiming it’s key technological aspect (the touch-screen) works like “magic” The iPhone is the first device that will incorporate many technological features such as the internet, mp3, camera, and a phone while making the device aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. Communication in the digital age is very important according to Marshall McLuhan and the iPhone is first and fore most a communications device. Not only does it connect us acoustically (cell phone) but it connects us visually through its wireless internet connection. Soon we the consumers will have access to a device that fits into our pockets and allows us to have access to communities (virtual) 24/7. We will always be connected wherever we go. This continuous access and the instantaneous transmission of the message is not the only aspect of the iPhone that makes it so magical. One has to be amazed at how such a small device 115 x 61 x 11.6mm can fit so much stuff. The iPhone has the capacity to hold 8GB of memory which can hold roughly 1500+ songs, + photos, + phone numbers and the software that is responsible for running the iPhone. Although we are not quite at technology as a human body foreseen by McLuhan we have no doubt taken a step closer with the invention of the iPhone.
“We are all born with the ultimate pointing device - our fingers - and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface…” Steve Jobs

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6246063.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6247803.stm

Mozart... and Mario? (Week 11F, Concepts in Culture)

Play! A Video Game symphony is a concert which goes on tours all over the world featuring music from some of the top video games in the industry. The example of Play! goes to show how much the boundary between popular/high culture has blurred in today’s society thanks to an interaction with new technology. Adorno (as would most of us) no doubt would classify video games as “popular or low culture” but he also classified classical music as “high culture”. This quote is taken straight from the website of Play! “music is performed by some of the finest, world-class orchestras and choirs. All concerts take place in classy, prestigious venues” World-class orchestras and classy prestigious venues would definitely be classified as high culture by most of us and one of the most renowned composers in the gaming industry is Nobuo Uematsu. Nobuo is responsible for creating music for the legendary Final Fantasy series and if you have listened to his music you can get an appreciation for his complex pieces that he creates with world renowned orchestras. The complex musical pieces featured in most games are not the only element which hinders video games as being classified popular culture. A special characteristic of video games that are not found in other forms of “popular culture” is the interactivity of the consumer and the video game. The audience is not passive but is literally active and interacting with the product, and a re-occurring theme in the RPG including Final Fantasy which is regarded as the holy grail of video games deal with overthrowing of a corrupt government. A theme of a subordinate group over throwing the dominant group and we are actually participating in it. I think video games in general are good examples why some theorists such as MacCabe found it so difficult to have clear definition between high and popular (low) culture.

http://www.play-symphony.com/

I recommend listening to the music that is played on the home page, it's by Nobuo Uematsu. Play! was just in Toronto a couple of months ago as well, but I missed the opportunity to attend the show which I really wanted to. Tickets were very expensive and I had to work during the concert date.

Headgear=Not French (Cultural Hegemony)

In today’s world we have an ever growing number of families and individuals immigrating too many parts of the world. Diaspora has become a familiar term to many and an issue any individual living in a “different” culture experiences. What France is doing to me is an example of cultural hegemony a concept proposed by Gramsci, trying to unite all of France into the “ideal” France according to the ruling government. This is a good example of how something can become "common sense" as the dominant group tries to enforce a law which later on becomes common sense like wearing a seatbelt today. It is already difficult for minority youths to try and come to terms with his or her “identity”. In being a French-Muslim you are not really French, but also not really Muslim and as the Gillespie article suggests many youths go through a complex transition in dealing with “dual” identities. To me France is trying to force its citizens to be strictly French (adhere to the ban) or Muslim, it is not giving its citizens the option to be both. The riots which have occurred in France but also other European countries are a way to resist this cultural homogenization. It is a way of telling the government that their identities are French-Muslims and they have the right and freedom to be proud of both of their cultures and the ability to cross between both whenever they deem it necessarily.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3478895.stm

Dove Evolution!! Believe It! (Week 7F, Rhetoric)

Surprisingly out of all the awful commercials that are out there I finally found a commercial that is very creative, interesting and that I actually like; Dove Evolution. It was quite the interesting approach and a gutsy move that Dove made which paid off quite nicely for them. On YouTube alone it has amassed an audience over 3 million and the best part? They did not have to pay a single cent to a broadcasting company to have it aired.
But why has this commercial garnered so much interest? I would like to analyze this commercial using an article written by Sut Jhally about the role of advertising. According to Jhally advertisement promises us real-life social desires and dreams but in reality it further pushes us apart from these desires. The thing about advertisements on beauty products is that most (actually all) show these glamorous models only after they have been all prepared by a special “beauty” team. What is interesting about the Dove commercial happens to be that it actually shows the entire transformation (or evolution according to Dove) as it happens, from the very moment the “model” steps in, all the way till her face is plastered on some billboard waiting to be consumed by millions of people happening to walk by.
Unfortunately in today’s western society a lot of emphasis is put on physical attractiveness, especially for women. Beauty is positively correlated with perceptions of being; smart, caring, intelligent, and fun, among other positive traits. Beauty is also associated with chances of getting a better job and thus earning a higher income. The thing is in today’s Western society beauty can bring us everything that we had ever hoped for. The media has portrayed today’s ideal beauty above levels that can only be reached by a small portion of the population. Not only has media set the standard of beauty but it has incessantly pushed the need to be beautiful, creating pressure for many young women to adhere to the standard of beauty set by the media. This is where advertisement comes in, since most of us can’t reach the set goal, we then turn to products which according to advertisement can make us more beautiful. However the consumers do realize that although make-up can make them “prettier” it doesn’t transform you into a model
The Dove advertisement is showing exactly what Jhally says products can not due for us which would be making possible our social desires and dreams, by showing how you can become like the models on the billboard. Let’s admit it, before the so called evolution the model is no where near the level of beauty set by the media. I mean she is pretty but she’s not hot I would even go as far as saying she is average. But that’s precisely the reason why this commercial is so genius! By showing an average women evolving into a model it is putting out the message that “yes you! You can become like her, we just showed you how”. The commercial shows how it is physically (with help from technology) possible for an average looking woman to become a hot smoking model.
But we know this is too good to be true. The commercial lasts no longer then 80 some seconds but the transformation has to have taken much, much longer. Although it shows all of the transformation, it has been sped up. You can see numerous people working on the model. As consumers we are treated to an advertisement for a beauty product that shows that the beauty product alone will not and actually can not make us more beautiful. Even if we had the resources to hire our own special team of beauty experts, we still will not be able to look like the models on the billboards because they have been digitally enhanced. So in one sense the Dove advertisement does show how it is possible for an average looking woman to be transformed into a model but then again it also shows how much work this takes. Not only that, the advertisement cements the reality of the fact that since the evolution requires digital enhancements you will only be able to mimic the appearance on print, in social interactions you won’t be 100% perfect.
Jhally advises us to look at the cultural role of advertising and the stories they tell us about our society. So what does it say about us as a society when we are so fascinated and interested in this advertisement that shows ideal beauty even with products takes so much work and effort. The popularity of this advertisement tells me that our society is fixated on trying to enhance our physical attractiveness. Did we really need a beauty company to come up with an advertisement showing us the effort it takes to produce these models? When knowing that the Dove product can only play a minimal role in our ever lasting desires to become beautiful why do we still consume beauty products? More so than blaming advertisements we should try and see why we are so obsessed about physical attractiveness. Let’s assume for a moment that there exists a product out in the world that can enhance our physical attractiveness to the standard set by the media. Will that really bring us true happiness and everything we had ever hoped for? I honestly think it wouldn’t, we only want to become like the models because they are in fact so rare (or impossible to achieve) it makes you “special” or “elite”. If everyone else can get to the same level the standard of beauty is only going to rise, and more and more products will be available for our consumption promising us to get to the new level set by the media. Instead of obsessing about our physical looks we should worry about being ourselves, and not consume so much beauty products, maybe donate the money we would have spent on make-up to note worthy charities. If this consumption does continue than Jhally was right predicting advertisements will being about the end of the world.

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=Dove+Evolution

Saddam's Carnivale (Week 9F, Play)

The public execution of Saddam to me contains several elements of the carnival and some of them in extreme ways. Here we see images of the “audience” actually verbally taunting Saddam and even throwing objects at him, no one there is a spectator they are all performers. The execution itself violates one of the most fundamental laws we have in society which is not to take a human life. In the spectacle of Saddam’s hanging, laws are (literally) suspended and only under this context is it legal to terminate a human life. An element of the carnivalesque is challenging authority through laughter, the public hanging of Saddam does not just merely challenge authority but it destroys it. Saddam used to be face of tyranny and power, the one who controlled everything from laws to daily life and in the hanging, citizens from all the social classes came together as equals to witness the overthrowing of a once powerful authority. But the carnival is merely an illusion it’s a way for the people in control to provide a controlled setting to challenge authority and what is this hanging really saying? The new Iraqi government (one’s who replaced Saddam) just replaced Saddam as the new authority and they are sending a message of fear; yes we have the authority to take a human life if we deem it necessarily. What is really disturbing about all of this is how some children took the “performance” aspect quite literally (heavily due to the exposure through television) The url that I will be posting at the end is a link to the article and a video of Saddam's last moments. Where must we draw the line for being merely a spectator to actually being a performer?

Image is from bbc.co.uk

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6221751.stm