Chapter 4 Tutorial Questions

Psychologies Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central tenet of western societies: freedom of choice.

a. How is the idea of "choice" a value that is built into consumer-capitalist society?

The idea of choice in the context of a consumer-capitalist society means to have the freedom to choose, to have more options in their purchases. Just like when a person is purchasing a phone, he or she has the choice either puchase the Apple iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy SIII according to his or her needs. Factors that influence the choice would be prices, discounts, additional gifts and other external factors. Internal factors lie on the functions of the item that wants to be purchases, generally comparing it to another similar product.

b. What does it mean in terms of hegemony?

Hegemony in general, means leadership by power. It is usually used in a more political/governmental light. For example in Malaysian context, Barisan Nasional has hegemony over the people of Selangor.

c. Why is it important for hegemony that we don't question its legitimacy? Why don't we?

Hegemony is leadership by power and the ones in power tend to think that their ways are the only right ways despite making little sense. Therefore, questioning its legitimacy may result in controversy and it is easier to control people who are submissive and follows whatever the person in power says.

The reason people usually do not question its legitimacy is the fear that we may end up jeopardizing our lives. It is of human nature to feel more comfortable being with a group of people rather than being alone and this leads to conformity. Furthermore, humans in general prefer to avoid conflicts especially in things that are out of their control.

d. What is "the paradox of choice"?

A paradox can be defined as a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true" and choice is "An act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities". 

Combining both words, it means that sometimes, things are just not what they seem to be. For example, the thought of having more options, more choices is thought to be better as one might be able to find an option that is tailor made to one's own preference.
However, there are times when having too many choices lead to complications just like how Schwartz gave his example of having too many choices of jeans but he ended up having difficulties in choosing.

Chapter 3 Tutorial Questions

1. Examine class representations from American television's beginnings to today's sitcoms, reality shows, police dramas and daytime talk shows.

During the old days of american television, only the 'white' american will be portrayed. Eventually, the races in american television became more diverse, most notably with the addition of asians and africans as actors and actresses. However, the whites will usually be portrayed as the hero, the macho man and all the cliché dream guy traits whereas the africans will either be depicted as an antagonist or as a protagonist but will probably die first in films. Fast forward to today, africans are viewed in a enlightened manner with them playing roles as vital as other races, even the whites. A good example would be the actor Will Smith in movies such as Men in Black and I am Legend.

2. What is the American Dream and how has it been portrayed on television? Who has it excluded and why?

Taken from the World English Dictionary, the American Dream is defined as the notion that the American social,economic, and political system makes success possible for every individual.

It is where the capitalist system brings joy, perfect health and wealth to every American. It is the thought of having perfection in reality such as a married couple having one son and one daughter. It is shown by the media that to make the American Dream a reality, one must simply work and dedicate themselves to their work as well as their country. If that is achieved then time is the only factor left.

It has excluded the minorities such as the African-Americans probably because during the time the American Dream concept was created, they deemed the minorities as having little to no importance in the country and as of now, it all depends on how people view the minorities.

3. How do media representations of class reflect the larger social system and social inequality?

The media representations of class as a reflection of the larger social system and social inequality is somewhat true. The only difference is that media tends to over-exaggerate certain points but that is how they make things clear. However, there are times when they portray a form of biasness, such as having the white men having all the power and the minorities and having little to no power.

Furthermore, media representations of class happen to be encouraging their portrayals in real-life situations rather than spreading awareness regarding it.

4. How is the working class portrayed when it has been represented?

The working class are often shown to be struggling not only in their work life but also their social life. They seem as if they are really having trouble making ends meet.

Strangely enough, even the bosses portrayed in the media can be considered a stereotype. Regardless of their gender, races and beliefs, they are often shown to be very demanding, unrealistic, cruel, sadistic and etc.

It is very rare to see the media portray kind hearted bosses unless the characters are to be killed during the early parts of films.

5. What are the struggles faced in trying to get a show about working class people on TV?

Generally, the idea about portraying real people and real work situations can be very tough not only because of timing issues but as well as not wanting to portray their true selves. One way or another, what you see in reality televisions are somewhat of a fabrication of what they truly are and that is a fact. No one wants to be seen in a bad light, especially on nationwide television broadcasts.

Some companies might even have policies against being recorded to avoid having their company secrets out in the air. In other words, no matter how well you manage to capture the work life situation, it can never be 100% accurate, especially since everyone experiences things differently.

6. How are race and gender intertwined with class on TV?

As for race, the white people are often shown to be rich, high integrity and classy kind of people where as the minorities are often shown to be poor, the evil person and the trashy kind of people.

As for gender, the men are often shown to be the breadwinners, the heroes, the ones in power basically. The women are often shown to be weak, similar functions to a maid and belong in the kitchen. A good example for this would be the TV show 'Justice League'. Despite having women like Wonder Woman and Hawk Girl as superheroes, the spotlight usually falls on the male superheroes such as Superman. When women appear to be taking control, they are often shown to be bitchy and manipulative.

Tutorial 3

1. Type, genre, and issue in media text. What are they? Provide Examples.


Genre means specific categories or types such as comedy being a genre for films. Issue can be defined as a topic of conversation rather than a problem awaiting to be solved by words. Media texts are products of the media such as a television show or movies. In media text, to look for type,genre and issue is to know about the specifics of a certain media text which would be what is the media text, the category of the media text and what the media text is trying to propose. For example, Hotel Rwanda is a drama film based on a true story, to provide the audience with a basis of what actually happened in Rwanda during the time of struggle against the Hutu military through the eyes of Paul Rusesabagina.



2. Choose a topic and issue for analysis report.



Media text: Music Video (Red Jump Suit Apparatus - Face Down)

Topic: Domestic Violence


Issues:

a) Internal and External effects

b) Wordless representations

c) Looking from a different perspective

Tutorial Questions 2

1. What is media concentration and conglomeration? How are they similar or different to each other?

Media concentration is a process that makes lesser and lesser people have control over the media most likely to avoid complications as it is easier to make decisions with said media when there are fewer people to consult. Media conglomeration is the process of gathering as many media content / media shares by one single entity such as the Walt Disney Company. They are different in a sense where one is to gather as many forms of media as possible and another is to have more control over it by getting lesser people have power over a certain media.

2. What is the political impact, if any, of concentrated corporate ownership of news and other forms of media?

It may promote a form of bias especially when it comes to news. For example, if the corporate ownership of news is concentrated on a current governing party, the news will tend to avoid anything that is harmful towards the governing party's image and will probably use the opportunity to verbally attack any opposition party's whenever they can such as putting blame on certain matters. Furthermore, if any forms of media, such as entertainment, are found to be harmful to the image, it will most probably be blocked out.

3. What is the relationship between media ownership and diversity in media content? Compare and contrast this relationship in the news and popular music industries.

The more media content being owned, the wider the variety in media content. Take for example the Universal Music Group. As of 2005, they accounted for 25.5% of the market by selling more music than any other record label around. With such a big and powerful roster of artists such as the Black Eyed Peas and 50 Cent, their content is music is diversified, allowing for more choices and in return, higher sales as compared to other record labels. 

Tutorial Questions 1-6 Chapter 1

1. Explain how the influence of mass media extends beyond what we know to include how we relate to the social world.

I believe mass media affects individuals by selling a lifestyle by using various approaches to appeal to certain people. Whether it be consciously or subconsciously affected, it influences people by the way they behave, dress and act. For instance, if a person finds the hip hop culture being shown by the media, chances are, they will dress and act like them.

2. Fill in the elements of the "media and social world" model below and briefly explain how they relate to each other (refer to slide on blank version of Media Model).

3. How does the presence of media affect your life? How would it be different without mass media?

It gave a major impact in my life as it is actually the basis for most of my basic knowledge in the real world. I have managed to widen my vocabulary thanks to electronic entertainments like video games and cartoons. Not only that, I managed to learn ways to express myself and be able to look at things from different perspectives. It would definitely be much more dull and I may even be lacking certain things that make me my own self without mass media.

4. Overall, do you think the growing presence of mass media in our lives is a positive or negative development? Why?

I would say positive because i see that pros outweighs the cons. Some tasks, such as gathering information and research,  can be done easily thanks to the mass media. Also, the mass media increases the number of jobs available for people such as for the advertising department and keeps people up-to-date regarding certain matters easier.

5. How do you think the presence of television has changed family life? Do you think the spread of the internet will have similar effects? Why or why not?

Television has managed to increase family bonding time as it not only allows the family to spend time together watching television, it also allows them to have more topics to converse with the family members and also other people. The internet may not have similar effects as it is more of an individual activity unless a certain family has a media entertainment system embedded into their computers for use in a similar way to a television. Assuming the family does not, it may actually make the family members grow apart as communication here will be weaker.

6. What do you think is the most significant media development in your lifetime?

Definitely the internet. For such a simple concept, it had tons of potential and surely enough, a lot of things, such as the hypertext transfer protocol, was developed and allowed people from all over the world to be connected assuming they have internet. It not only allowed people to communicate with each other from far away places, it also allows people to share files with each other. And as the internet continues to develop, it will get faster, affordable and also will materialize in a way most of us have never thought to be possible.

About The Eyeman!

Introduction

My name is Aiman Bin Ahmad Maulana. Some people know me as The Eyeman and others know me as that weird tall guy. I am currently in a course called BA(Hons) Communications at Sunway University.

Interest

My interests are gaming, music, cooking, software & hardware modifications, eating, sleeping, girls, basketball, handball and pretty much any sport.

Dreams

My dream is to get to know as many people in the world as I can, be a known figure in the world, travel around the world, being the jack of all trades,  getting married and have a family of my own. 

Aspirations

I aspire to be an english radio show host. Why? Well, I just love talking to people about anything at all. It would be cool to find out about different perspectives from different people regarding a certain topic. Perhaps, if I manage to achieve this ambition, anyone I happened to have lost contact with in the future can easily find me again and it would be cool for my friends to hear my voice everyday when they are going to work or sending their kids to school.

Where I Come From

I was born in Hospital Assunta, Petaling Jaya. I was raised in a middle-income household which was perfect for me. I stayed at SS3 Petaling Jaya for about 7 years or so and moved to condominium at SS6 Kelana Jaya. After staying there for approximately 12 years, I moved to Shah Alam for about a year to allow my father to enjoy his last moments in a comfortable house. After my father passed away, I moved back to Kelana Jaya, the place where i grew up and here I am now.

Childhood Experiences

I remember going to a chinese kindergarten where there was only 4 malay kids including myself and the rest were either chinese or indian which was pretty cool because I managed to learn a bit of their language and get used to speaking English most of the time.

I grew up having spent most of my time in front of a gaming console which was initially the Sega Saturn and then to the Sony Playstation which was a present from my dad for my 7th birthday.

 I only started to play sports when I was 11 years old which first started with swimming and then to football and then a combination of many different sports. This is probably because I didn't really have much friends while I was growing up. It was a great childhood nonetheless.

Family Conditions

I have a family of 5 which consists of my parents, my 2 older brothers and myself. As of late, my family conditions aren't exactly stable but slowly getting there. Not that my family members and I argue a lot, just that everything went haywire after my father's death on January of 2012.

Since my first brother is married, he has to tend to his own family and my second brother is about to get married which is a good thing but a bit stressful for the family. My mother is working most of the time and my second brother is juggling between his studies and his work life which leaves me alone at home most of the time if I am not busy with my studies.

It has been a painful year but I hope it gets better as time goes by.

3 Experiences That Made The Most Lasting Impression on Me

First experience was the introduction of video games into my life, thanks to my father. It was made official when he bought me the Sony Playstation on my 7th birthday and I remembered him saying that its okay to enjoy every now and then as long you can balance out your entertainment and studies. It is the basis of my lifestyle which is to do things my own way and if it doesn't work, change it.

Second experience was my father's death. It was the moment that my family felt a form of tension like never before. It was also the moment I realized that I have to grow up, that I have to take care of myself and eventually, my mother. I have to admit that this event caused me to have some form of abandonment issues but I have no choice but to look forward and keep on living.

Third experience was the moment I entered Sunway University. Why? Well, I was stuck in a high school that filled with racists, drug addicts, back-stabbers and people who are more concerned about being famous and being in relationships rather than caring about their friends. It is this university that made me realize that not all people are like that and that studying and fun can go hand-in-hand. 

10 Most Important Given Circumstances 

• Need to make myself better at any and every sport there is
• Getting rid of laziness
• Morning classes are way better but maybe a little bit later would be better
• Get better results
• Stop smoking
• Meet more people
• Make new friends
• Get a better car
• Make myself more approachable
• Learn more things

That's about it for now, until next time!