Journals in academic research and practice

Watch a TV show or film and analyze the types of messages it is giving you. How are those messages conveyed? Be sure to talk about the visuals as well. If you saw the show or film as a realistic portrayal of the world, what would the world look like?

Over the course of the 2008 Presidential election year, one of the television programs I watched most frequently was Saturday Night Live. Parodying the candidates running for office was a regular feature of the show, and some of the candidates such as Sarah Palin and John McCain even made appearances on the program. I often felt that the late-night program tried to make me feel as if I was being smart and hip, simply by virtue of watching the show. The sincere appeals of the candidates for votes were constantly parodied, and the intelligence of the viewer was affirmed for being 'in on the joke,' by laughing along with SNL. For example, during the parody of the Sarah Palin interview with CBS anchorwoman Katie Couric, many of the Katie Couric impersonator's questions seemed to be taken verbatim from the original interview, like the questions about Palin's foreign policy knowledge and experience. Interestingly enough, so were Palin's answers, such as the fact that she could see Russia from her house and Russia shared a border with Alaska. Palin made a similar comment in her interview in both her 'real' and 'fake,' Tina Fey incarnation! Thus perhaps the real world of politics and the television world of parody are not so different after all.

Palin's answers were so obviously ridiculous during the interview, the script of the show suggested, that not too much needed to be added. For those 'in the know' who had watched the interview, as I had, this made the parody especially humorous. Also a treat for news junkies was the fact that the process of the interview was also parodied. Of course, the actors were made up and dressed to look like the people they were portraying. But shooting the two women in close-up, photographing Couric through gauzy light even while she was doing a serious news show, and the quick camera shots between the interview subjects were also incorporated into the parody, both to make it look more realistic but also to show how television interviews of politicians are often very 'staged,' despite media statements about spontaneity and objectivity when they are reporting the news. Just like in "ER" and "CSI," television interviews use jump cuts to create a sense of drama between two sparring individuals, even though television news shows often run critical commentaries about how Americans are more interested in entertainment rather than educational programming. Clearly, even political interviews have an entertainment component, the SNL parody suggested.

The only differences between the real and the fake interviews were a few added comment that cast further aspersions on Palin's intelligence, comments that seemed to take her original remarks 'over the top' and were used to emphasize the lack of expertise evident in performance. For example, when Tina Fey Palin was asked a particularly difficult question, she asked to 'call a friend' showing that Palin was evidently more of a watcher of "Who wants to be a millionaire" rather than a frequent reader of the Economist, like her Democratic counterpart Joe Biden. But this raises the question -- if the viewer laughs at the SNL parody, doesn't this indicate that he or she knows that calling a friend for a hint is part of the low-brow game show? The sense of superiority to Palin and the savvy hipness invoked by SNL requires a viewer to have the type of familiarity with popular culture that is viewed with contempt when embodied by Palin.

There is some realism to the portrayal -- the frightening accurate accent of Palin, the similarity of her responses in the real interview to the parody, and her blank stare. Also, perhaps suggesting her low-brow popular cultural tastes is justified given Palin's insistence that she was "Joe Six Pack" rather than an intellectual in the Vice-Presidential debates. The parody of artificial television drama as news is thus accurate, but it is being done by television which raises the question -- how much can one laugh at television as a subject of parody, if we are sitting on a couch, staring at a television screen? Who is the 'joke on' in the long run?

Identify an independently owned bookstore, music store, clothing store, grocery store, restaurant and movie theater in Chicago. Travel to two of these establishments and write a description of what they carry and how it differs from a larger chain store that specializes in the same type of merchandise. What are the pros and cons of independent stores vs. chain stores? Be sure to clearly identify the name and address of each business you mention.

Pizza D.O.C. (http://www.mypizzadoc.com/)on 2251 W. Lawrence Avenue in Chicago offers traditional, Neapolitan or New York-style pizza that is supposed to be just as good was what diners can get on the East Coast. It has a strong reputation and a loyal customer base in the area it services. The quality and ambiance of the place, even though it offers take-out much like the Pizza Huts, Dominos, and Papa Johns' on every other block in the area is immediately obvious. A large array of traditional Italian specialties in addition to pizza is offered, as well as an inexpensive but good wine list for diners who want a full trattoria experience. Unlike a chain pizza place, even a 'sit-down' version of an Italian restaurant like the Olive Garden, this is evidently a place that a consumer can develop a relationship with -- a patron can bring his date to dine on Friday, and then order-in pizza during a busy weeknight. Not only do chains serve more customers in a faceless way, but few Italian chains 'do' both quality pizza and quality food for take-out or dining in.

Another obvious difference is the price, though, between the chain and independent store. DOC charges $12.95 for a basic pizza, or Pizza Margarita, as it is called. There are no special promotional offers like a Domino's $5 for three medium pizza deals, which may influence families feeding large amounts of people on a budget in a cost-pressured economy. Chains serve larger amounts of customers, enabling them to keep costs down, and they often serve larger portions. Also, standard operating procedures of cooking enable the major pizza chains to hire unskilled workers to assemble the food, and the food always tastes the same, which can please children or simply family members who prefer things to always taste the same. Chains, even if they are not as good as independent places, are consistent. For example, sometimes DOC tastes perfect -- a crispy crust, fresh cheese, and spicy tomato sauce -- but other times the crust can be underdone. If the customer is dissatisfied, the independent place may make it up to the customer, especially if the customer is a 'regular.' But if the independent place will not satisfy the customer, there is no recourse other than not patronizing the place -- a patron of a chain can write to the corporate office to register a complaint.

DOC employees know the regular customer's names. At many chains, employees tend to be employed at the establishment for shorter periods of time, unlike family-owned establishments like DOC. To remedy this, some chains have employees wear nametags, such as family restaurants like TGIF. However, it is worth pointing out that not every single independent restaurant has an 'everyone knows your name' neighborhood quality like DOC. "The Counter" which advertises its "worth the wait" custom-built burgers offers friendly but rather impersonal service for its high-stacked burgers. Unlike burger-oriented fast food hamburger chains, the Counter, recently opened on the 666 W. Diversey Parkway in Chicago offers a limited array of offerings at a high level of quality and a relatively high price point, rather than strives to be all things to all people. It is a place for serious 'burger people' However, it should be observed that marketing clearly plays a role in the ways that the Counter presents itself to the customer. The organic and humanely raised nature of the beef is featured in prominent words on the menu, to address the possible ethical concerns of the target twentysomething demographic, and the menu has an innovative 'you pick,' your toppings, bun, as well as level of doneness and so forth, to draw upon current trends emphasizing customization. Fast food chains cannot match these offerings, but they are also cheaper than the Counter. Unlike the established, traditional family feel of DOC that has grown its customer base 'organically' over time with its quality, in the more competitive market environment the ne, independent the Counter must still use more aggressive marketing techniques to reach the customer to sell its moderately priced (but still more expensive than fast food) burgers.

In a two-page typed essay, reflect on what you learned about media literacy. Did your view of media literacy change over the course of the class? How will your consumption of media be affected?

As a result of taking this course, I think I have become a more critical consumer of the media. When I see a commercial, I am hyper-aware of how the product is being positioned in the market, and what types of narratives are being used to play upon the goals and aspirations of the target audience, such as being a 'good mom,' or 'hip and sexy' or even to live pain-free into one's old age. Although I was always aware of advertising, now I am better able to see how advertising works upon the psyche of the consumer. I also notice how certain ads are featured during certain kinds of television programs, or on certain Internet sites, to specifically reach a demographic.

I think I may also be slightly more 'paranoid,' because I have also begun to take note of the frequency with which brands are popping up in my life and the lives of other people. I used to like to think that I was immune to advertising, but we as a society are so affected by corporate culture, from not just the clothing and food we buy, but also in terms of the computers we use, the shows we watch, and the stores we shop, it is hard not to be affected by advertising and branding at least some of the time. Is an iPod really the best MP3 player? Why does my mother swear by Hellmann's mayonnaise and no other brand will do? After a certain point, some brands become so ubiquitous they become a synonym for the products themselves -- they even come to represent the consumer who uses them. Companies have picked up upon this identification of brands with the self, as evidenced in Apple's recent 'Macintosh user' versus 'PC user' ads which show a hip, 'with it' young person to personify the MC, versus a geeky PC user designed to personify the slow and out-of-date PC. Some people even buy products with their favorite brands on them, from Macintosh to Pepsi.