Trinh Minh-Ha (1991) "The World as Foreign Land"
Although, the theorization of racial and sexual otherness has become accepted as a legitimate area of study, but vigilance must be maintained in the discourse. Discussions can lead to a predominately Western, mainstream view that emphasizes the foreign nature of the "others." Those who would be categorized as the "others" must be wary and not allow the domination of the dominant thought created by another claiming to be an authority. They must be able to affirm the differences they have while at the same time not allow other individuals to isolate them.
Dominant control of the discussion is sometimes used through the media. The media is often used to create a single collective truth that silences other views. This often stereotypes the "others" and in response, they point out these stereotypes. It creates a certain repetition in the argument that may at first seem tiring, but is actually a powerful tool. It continually re-draws attention to the media and makes people begin to look at invisible meanings within the text. Thus it is not enough to simply make the invisible visible, but to make known the invisibility of the invisible.
Comments:
New media plays with the role of consumer and producer, but I believe that the mainstream will always exist. The thing that people view as the norm and is widely accepted as well as having tons of money pumped into it. As much as we celebrate the our podcasts, amateur videos on YouTube, and our other attempts at being producers, it's never the same as being a part of the mainstream. However, the mainstream is often run by corporations for profit, which has bending over to appeal to the masses with popular preconceived images. You probably know where I'm getting at by now, which is representation of minorities in the media. Minh-Ha's article made me think about the fact that we are often conflicted at seeing some minority actors make it big. It's great to see a person of color in popular media, but the roles that they often end up with reenforces some stereotype. This is especially true when it comes to the queer community. Television shows such as Will & Grace (which actually had straight actors) has created a predominant image of a gay man. While minorities, those categorized as "others" are happy to be accepted into popular discourses, a certain vigilance and critical analysis must take place. The reenforcing of stereotypes only makes the idea of people being foreigners, different, ever the more stronger.
Trinh Minh-Ha (1991) "The Other Censorship"
Art and theory are often separated from each other and considered different practices, but the boundaries between the two are not set in stone. Inevitably a critical practice will cross between the two and serve to upset the status quo, the accepted ideologies. They remain as neither wholly separate or assimilated. To approach it from only one side, either only as an artist or as a critic, creates a standard considered normal, and either eliminates different forms of art, or places them under scrutiny. In a sense, this is another form of censorship.
This type of censorship is often used work done by minorities. Minorities find difficulty in gaining acceptance as either artists or theorists. Even after gaining acceptance, they can be pigeon-holed into a certain domain, usually about their "ethnic heritage." Being pigeon-holed is problematic as they continue to write within what is expected means bowing down to the dominant ideology, but to do differently can be seen as a betrayal of ethnic loyalty. To prevent such a thing from happening, critical practice must be used to constantly question and examine art and its boundaries.
Comments:
The comments about being pigeon-holed are interesting. It's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. It places individuals in a very confining situation in which they do not have any real room to move and truly express oneself. This is especially problematic if there is a continual relation back to the area assigned to you. In a sense, independence as an individual is lost. Individual identity is subsumed underneath a subject. It's the equivalent of being typecast for actors. An individual wants room to explore and experiment but is not given the chance.
As with the other Minh-Ha article, a critical examination of media is of the utmost importance. There is more to a text than what is seen. From stereotyping in the form of acceptance to an invisible censorship, we must be wary and able to look at the meanings behind texts.
Mizuko Ito (2002) "Technologies of the Childhood Imagination: Media Mixes, Hypersociality, and Recombinant Cultural Form
The larger context of media mixing is looked at through the lens of Yugioh. The old form of media mixing usually involved the transferring of text from one form of media to another, usually from books to film or television. The new form of media mixing is a product appearing across several media simultaneously. This new form of media has an influence on the childhood imagination, intricately tying it to the technologies of new media. The media mix itself has provided a new interactivity between the visual imaginary world and the real physical world. In the context of Yugioh, the cards and the game seen in the anime and manga have a real life counterpart that children can engage in. In addition, video games that retell the narrative can be interacted with and physical cards can even be transferred over to the video game. This media mixing causes a change in the social aspects of children. Hypersociality occurs rather than the shut-in, introverted and passive view of children as consumers. There are multiple access points to the text through several media. It begins to pervade several aspects of childhood. From there it goes on to the remixing of the media. Children can re-appropriate it and customize it to their own personal likings. This has also attracted adults who engage in more sophisticated forms of the same thing, such as making their own zines about the characters, methods of rare card collecting and entrepreneurship.
All of these represent changes in the social and cultural interactions of children through the shift from one form of media to another. This leads to the need to take new examination in the relations between new media and life on many different levels.
Comments:
The thing I'm interested in is all of this taken in the context of a popular fad. Pokemon and Yugioh are both popular fads that despite their initial excitement and phenomenon in capturing the attention of many, it does fade. The popularity goes from all encompassing to being a niche. Honestly, I haven't heard much about Yugioh since my senior year in high school two years ago. So what exactly happens to these social and cultural effects once the fad dies? Where does the hypersociality and remixing go? As exciting as a phenomenon such as Yugioh is, it's a rarity. It's multimedia success was directly related to its popularity. There have been other products that have attempted the same strategy, but have failed to catch on. It's too early to look at the great changes that these types of products of on the children and the expansion of imagination. The current fad includes all of this media mix, but the next one might not necessarily pull off the same thing, and all of the things described here may not occur.
Mizuko Ito (2002) "Mobiles and the Appropriation of Place"
Ito examines the changes in the experience of co-presence and social interactions in Japanese youth that the mobile phone has brought about. In particular, Ito looks at how the boundaries of a physical gathering are extended before, during and after the meeting. Before the advent of mobile phones, the normal thing was to suggest a fixed time and place to meet. Now, no fixed time or place need to be set. A general time and place is set and then mobile communications narrow it down. Even the normal manners of being on time are as problematic as a message can be sent stating that one will be late, which allows the other person to occupy themselves until then. During the actual meeting, mobile phones augment the meeting by allowing the invitation of other friends, retrieval of information concerning a conversation, or even as a conversation starter when they receive a message. They also showed no qualms in talking to someone else when they receive a phone call. Communication that would usually not be possible is possible as well, especially with text messaging which can be done discretely. After the meeting, things such as thanks, continued conversation or forgotten bits of information can still be passed on. The effect of all of this is that the urban environment is becoming highly personalized with individuals continuously in contact with each other.
Comments:
Fascinating how this sounds like my life right now, except without the excessive texting as it is not free for me. Mobiles have really changed the way people interact with each other. It creates a new culture and as shown, a new set of rules and social norms. So what about those who do not have ready access to this technology? Yeah, everyone and their pet dog has cell phones now a days, but people have varying models and billing plans, which limits how much and what they use their phone for. For example, I truly dread text messaging because it costs me about 35 cents per message which can pile up when people don't get the point. Anyways, the whole point is what happens to those who do not have access? Do they become isolated from the society, or become a part of a different culture parallel to the one described here? It's interesting that new media is creating a new culture, but those of the old still remain and interact with the new.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Justin Lin's "Better Luck Tomorrow"
The film is a challenge to the model minority image of Asian Americans. The funny thing is that it feeds into the image in order to challenge it. A part of the model minority image is overachieving in what they do. All of the main characters are very smart, involved in many extracurricular activities, doing lots of service work and pretty much focused on doing whatever it takes to get into the top universities. They are also all pretty privileged characters seeing as how they all live in the suburbs. All of them seem to be living the American dream. The model minority image is holding up considering they really have no problems other than the pressure to succeed.
The guys create the problems for themselves by becoming involved in crime. In this case, the model minority image is challenged in that they are not perfect honor roll students. They want to shake off the squeaky clean academic image associated with the model minority stereotype. As Ben states in the beginning, it felt good to be able to do something that can’t be put on a college application. There is something exhilarating about doing the wrong thing, or at least what is not expected of them. Virgil, more than any of them, revels in the rumors flying around about them. The rumors make them seem tougher and cooler than they really were. It does challenge the model minority stereotype but not in the same way as AKA Don Bonus.
AKA Don Bonus shows an Asian American youth that is unable to succeed because he comes from a low-income family that is also divided, crime is not started by him but finds his way to him and the institutions are unable to help him achieve the “American dream.” The characters of Better Luck Tomorrow are in the complete opposite situation from Don Bonus. Things are working in their favor, but they choose to work against the model minority stereotype by creating the crime that Don Bonus is forced to face.
Beyond challenging the model minority, it would appear to challenge the portrayal of Asian American men in media and the stereotype of them being submissive, quiet and asexual. The focus is reclaiming Asian American masculinity. The guys act tough, do illegal crimes, have sex, get into fights, drink and all other kinds of things. They’re all doing what would be considered masculine activities. However, I never feel a real sense of masculinity being portrayed. They all seem like weak individuals. The fight they get into with a jock ends with them getting beat up and Daric needing to pull a gun on him in order to win. In order to lose their virginity, they have to resort to a prostitute. Ben kills Steve with a bat while he’s being held down. They try to establish masculinity, but fail repeatedly.
The reason it fails is because it feels so false. The masculine things they do seem like an act to rebel against how others perceive them. It is not who they really are. As much as they hate to admit it, they really are the image of the model minority. They are highly focused on academics and push themselves in order to get into top universities.
One other thing I noticed is that parents do not show up at all in the film. They are mentioned but none ever make an appearance on the screen. I find that rather odd. We do not learn what generation they are, what kind of interactions they have with their children or any of their opinions. I feel an important element of the youth’s lives is being left out by doing this.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
NML Week 8
Buckingham (2003) Ch. 2 "New Media Childhoods"
Buckingham looks at the relationship between childhood and new media. In order to examine this, he acknowledges that it cannot be examined separate from cultural, social and economic influences. The view of the relationship between childhood and new media can take two perspectives. One is that of Neil Postman, which sees new media as the death of childhood as greater access exposes children to the "secret" world of adults. The opposing view is that of Don Tapscott, who sees as a liberating entity as it gives children more choices and enables them to be more active in their selection. Either way, the line between adults and children are simultaneously blurred and reinforced.
The boundary between adults and children are blurred in that no longer are children targeted by companies as an avenue to their parents, but are now directly targeting the children themselves. The children are now the consumers and products are directly being targeted towards them. A niche market is being created that exclusively targets children. Intertextuality provides an example as current media text are constantly connected or referred to other texts, or products. Disney not only has films, but spin-off shows, toys, music, theme parks, etc. all related to a single product. Children programs are also including more and more topics that were once considered taboo. However, at the same time that this blurring between the child and adult world is occurring, a child culture is being created that only children can really understand. It excludes adults.
Commentary
An important point made in the reading is what are the consequence for those children from lower income families who do not have equal access to technology. The childhoods in contention here are under the assumption that the family has access to all of these technologies. Does this polarization between these two socioeconomic backgrounds lead to the experience of two different childhoods? If the gap between rich and poor ever becomes greater, a gap between two cultures, the new media literate and illiterate, could grow within societies. With education pretty much being incapable of keeping up with technological advancements, children from poorer backgrounds may never get the experience necessary for the jobs in the future as learning of new media occurs more frequently within the home than in the classroom.
Intertextuality is becoming ever the more interesting with the licensing out of products. Taking a look at major motion pictures, a single company, the creator that owns the original rights can license it out to several different companies to make different products all on the thing. However, the problem that many are able to pick up is, that all they're really doing is milking a cash cow, so the quality of said products have to always be checked. This is probably most evident with video games. As gamers become older, they become warier of licensed games. These games are most often shabbily put together, so that it can sell not based on quality but on the license connected to it. This begs the question of whether or not intertextuality can cause a decrease in the overall quality of products, because they heavily rely on the name to move units.
Buckingham looks at the relationship between childhood and new media. In order to examine this, he acknowledges that it cannot be examined separate from cultural, social and economic influences. The view of the relationship between childhood and new media can take two perspectives. One is that of Neil Postman, which sees new media as the death of childhood as greater access exposes children to the "secret" world of adults. The opposing view is that of Don Tapscott, who sees as a liberating entity as it gives children more choices and enables them to be more active in their selection. Either way, the line between adults and children are simultaneously blurred and reinforced.
The boundary between adults and children are blurred in that no longer are children targeted by companies as an avenue to their parents, but are now directly targeting the children themselves. The children are now the consumers and products are directly being targeted towards them. A niche market is being created that exclusively targets children. Intertextuality provides an example as current media text are constantly connected or referred to other texts, or products. Disney not only has films, but spin-off shows, toys, music, theme parks, etc. all related to a single product. Children programs are also including more and more topics that were once considered taboo. However, at the same time that this blurring between the child and adult world is occurring, a child culture is being created that only children can really understand. It excludes adults.
Commentary
An important point made in the reading is what are the consequence for those children from lower income families who do not have equal access to technology. The childhoods in contention here are under the assumption that the family has access to all of these technologies. Does this polarization between these two socioeconomic backgrounds lead to the experience of two different childhoods? If the gap between rich and poor ever becomes greater, a gap between two cultures, the new media literate and illiterate, could grow within societies. With education pretty much being incapable of keeping up with technological advancements, children from poorer backgrounds may never get the experience necessary for the jobs in the future as learning of new media occurs more frequently within the home than in the classroom.
Intertextuality is becoming ever the more interesting with the licensing out of products. Taking a look at major motion pictures, a single company, the creator that owns the original rights can license it out to several different companies to make different products all on the thing. However, the problem that many are able to pick up is, that all they're really doing is milking a cash cow, so the quality of said products have to always be checked. This is probably most evident with video games. As gamers become older, they become warier of licensed games. These games are most often shabbily put together, so that it can sell not based on quality but on the license connected to it. This begs the question of whether or not intertextuality can cause a decrease in the overall quality of products, because they heavily rely on the name to move units.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
NML Week 7
Lister et al. (pgs. 219-279)
This chapter explores the new media within everyday life. In looking at this topic, the authors begin to address the question of whether or not cyberspace really means a disconnect from the physical world, including the cultures and societies in which new media exists within. In the end, cyberspace is not this separable entity from everyday life, but rather something that modifies it.
Some of the modifications involve the strengthening of the consumerist culture. There are now vast amounts of media to take in, however this leads to different visions of consumerism. One in particular, the "leftist pessimists" sees people as dominated by new media, reinforcing ideologies of oppression and suppression. Another vision shows greater freedom in the hands of the consumers as they can select what they choose to consume.
Another modification is the family relationship within the home. The relations revolve access to the computer which is often done through negotiations between family members, especially when there is only one PC in the home. Each individual uses the PC for different purposes, changing their view of it. The location of the computer also stems from the communal nature of it. Knowledge of the technology is connected to the amount of authority that an individual possesses concerning a particular piece of technology.
Education, or rather edutainment is another form of modification in which the entertainment values that we take from various forms of media is synthesized with educational material. It becomes a process by which we can learn through play. Leisure activities become productive processes.
The anonymity of the internet also for a special kind of identity formation. Through the internet, a unique act can occur in which individuals can play with their identity, changing it to whatever they feel like. It creates another life, another experience complimentary to that experienced in real life.
Video games, which possibly is the most widely consumed new medium. Video games can be seen as providing wide opportunities to relate to fantastical worlds and new experiences, but at the same time, it can provide tremendous fears. Among them is their simulations being taken into the reality of life, especially FPS. The integration between fantasy and reality can become blurred. Another fear is the isolation and lack of social interaction that video game playing can cause. Video games can also open the window for learning how a piece of new media operates.
Comments
Despite being only four-five years old, this book all of a sudden feels very out of date. This is a book that came out before MySpace, YouTube and the next generation of video game systems became established in popular culture. The language of the text just seems old to me. I take issue with several points made.
First things first, edutainment is a useless concept as described here that should be mocked and forgotten. The things being passed off as edutainment are too simple and seem to be aimed more for profit than actual education. From my own childhood, I know that edutainment allowed me to pick up random facts, but it could not match up in comparison to structured and formal teaching. Even shows that were considered edutainment are more pieces of nostalgia now than instrumental lessons toward my intellectual development. Edutainment is not without some merit, but it fails to realize that the children growing up now are vastly different from children that just grew up a few years ago. They are much more used to the digital era in which technology is such an integral part of their life. The stimulus that they receive is much more complex and introduction of complicated technology occurs at a younger age. I remember how complicated I thought a Nintendo was when I was 6, and could never imagine some of the video games now, and yet in today's kids, we have 6 yr olds that can mercilessly crush players 3 or 4 times their age in Halo. Edutainment is too dumbed down to promote true education or entertainment.
The internet's use for identity formation is an important idea, but what about the rise in popularity of social networks such as Friendster, MySpace and Facebook, which often times can completely destroy anonymity. In fact, the complete and utter opposite thing can occur, in which much of a person's daily life becomes completely public. A battle between public and expectations of privacy occurred with MySpace at my high school when pictures popped up on pages, in which students were drunk in said photo, were seen by one of our teachers who was deliberately searching through student pages for this kind of stuff. The students were punished, and in another school, a girl was expelled for making comments about a teacher on her page. Many individuals still experiment with their identity, but these social networks promote completely opening up your identity to the entire world.
Finally, on video games, things have dramatically changed in just the last couple of years. Games are becoming progressively more real and interactive (Nintendo Wii), to the point of strengthening old fears. However, video games are being pushed as a form of art, of free speech protected underneath the 1st amendment. Games have advanced by tremendous leaps in just a few years. So much so, not that they are categorized in different categories beyond their respective genres. For example, a distinction is now made between games for hardcore gamers, complex, time intensive, and casual gamers, those of the pick up and play variety. Games have also made good use of visuals and interactivity to create a cinematic experience that can only be categorized as art. Also, the gaming population is getting older, and views of video games and their impact on society is changing. The advent of console online gaming has greatly linked the gaming community and a gamer culture is being formed. However, during all this, the consumerist culture is influencing the games created and marketed, often creating a conflict between profit and creativity.
This chapter explores the new media within everyday life. In looking at this topic, the authors begin to address the question of whether or not cyberspace really means a disconnect from the physical world, including the cultures and societies in which new media exists within. In the end, cyberspace is not this separable entity from everyday life, but rather something that modifies it.
Some of the modifications involve the strengthening of the consumerist culture. There are now vast amounts of media to take in, however this leads to different visions of consumerism. One in particular, the "leftist pessimists" sees people as dominated by new media, reinforcing ideologies of oppression and suppression. Another vision shows greater freedom in the hands of the consumers as they can select what they choose to consume.
Another modification is the family relationship within the home. The relations revolve access to the computer which is often done through negotiations between family members, especially when there is only one PC in the home. Each individual uses the PC for different purposes, changing their view of it. The location of the computer also stems from the communal nature of it. Knowledge of the technology is connected to the amount of authority that an individual possesses concerning a particular piece of technology.
Education, or rather edutainment is another form of modification in which the entertainment values that we take from various forms of media is synthesized with educational material. It becomes a process by which we can learn through play. Leisure activities become productive processes.
The anonymity of the internet also for a special kind of identity formation. Through the internet, a unique act can occur in which individuals can play with their identity, changing it to whatever they feel like. It creates another life, another experience complimentary to that experienced in real life.
Video games, which possibly is the most widely consumed new medium. Video games can be seen as providing wide opportunities to relate to fantastical worlds and new experiences, but at the same time, it can provide tremendous fears. Among them is their simulations being taken into the reality of life, especially FPS. The integration between fantasy and reality can become blurred. Another fear is the isolation and lack of social interaction that video game playing can cause. Video games can also open the window for learning how a piece of new media operates.
Comments
Despite being only four-five years old, this book all of a sudden feels very out of date. This is a book that came out before MySpace, YouTube and the next generation of video game systems became established in popular culture. The language of the text just seems old to me. I take issue with several points made.
First things first, edutainment is a useless concept as described here that should be mocked and forgotten. The things being passed off as edutainment are too simple and seem to be aimed more for profit than actual education. From my own childhood, I know that edutainment allowed me to pick up random facts, but it could not match up in comparison to structured and formal teaching. Even shows that were considered edutainment are more pieces of nostalgia now than instrumental lessons toward my intellectual development. Edutainment is not without some merit, but it fails to realize that the children growing up now are vastly different from children that just grew up a few years ago. They are much more used to the digital era in which technology is such an integral part of their life. The stimulus that they receive is much more complex and introduction of complicated technology occurs at a younger age. I remember how complicated I thought a Nintendo was when I was 6, and could never imagine some of the video games now, and yet in today's kids, we have 6 yr olds that can mercilessly crush players 3 or 4 times their age in Halo. Edutainment is too dumbed down to promote true education or entertainment.
The internet's use for identity formation is an important idea, but what about the rise in popularity of social networks such as Friendster, MySpace and Facebook, which often times can completely destroy anonymity. In fact, the complete and utter opposite thing can occur, in which much of a person's daily life becomes completely public. A battle between public and expectations of privacy occurred with MySpace at my high school when pictures popped up on pages, in which students were drunk in said photo, were seen by one of our teachers who was deliberately searching through student pages for this kind of stuff. The students were punished, and in another school, a girl was expelled for making comments about a teacher on her page. Many individuals still experiment with their identity, but these social networks promote completely opening up your identity to the entire world.
Finally, on video games, things have dramatically changed in just the last couple of years. Games are becoming progressively more real and interactive (Nintendo Wii), to the point of strengthening old fears. However, video games are being pushed as a form of art, of free speech protected underneath the 1st amendment. Games have advanced by tremendous leaps in just a few years. So much so, not that they are categorized in different categories beyond their respective genres. For example, a distinction is now made between games for hardcore gamers, complex, time intensive, and casual gamers, those of the pick up and play variety. Games have also made good use of visuals and interactivity to create a cinematic experience that can only be categorized as art. Also, the gaming population is getting older, and views of video games and their impact on society is changing. The advent of console online gaming has greatly linked the gaming community and a gamer culture is being formed. However, during all this, the consumerist culture is influencing the games created and marketed, often creating a conflict between profit and creativity.
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