Technological Change: Progress = Success?

Orson Wells

With technological change, the social and media changes embedded in "radio days" was inevitable. Much like the rise of internet and its fresher take on music consumption (Pandora and Groove Shark to name a few), audiences back in the 1920s had access to an easier way to consume media. Without technological change, being the building blocks of the radio industry, the government would not have anything to regulate and consumer demand would not exist. To technological entrepreneurs, such as Guglielmo Marconi, technological change is necessary to further society successfully.

Technological change acted as a locomotive, since it helped the radio industry become more accessible to an eclectic audience - from the middle-class workers to the elite-socialites. With the rise of FM radio, the accessibility became even more apparent. Yet it was diversifying the content at the same time, having social and cultural effects. With FM being able to travel 30 miles within range and with the ability of 20 FM stations to broadcast over many cities, people in cities had more of a variety to choose from. Shown thoroughly in Radio Days, what was featured on the popular shows became a market success. It would not be possible though, if technology hadn't evolutionized.

Furthermore, this ability to reach more consumers definitely shaped the way companies targeted their niche markets. In lecture, commercial broadcasting, which is basically sponsors selling consumer goods on-air, was touched on. Without the change in the technology that allows companies to exercise this type of brand marketing, a huge majority of radio shows would not exist in the 1920s (and integrated advertising would not have developed.) The programs and the products' sponsorship went hand-in-hand, such as in the radio to television program, Ozzie and Harriet. Today, commercial broadcasting is still apparent, its just the products sold and the music its combined with that's different.

Social Learning: The rise of Jackass

The concept of social learning has definitely put the popularity of "Jackass," the Johnny Knoxville stunt and practical-joke show into perspective for me. According to the textbook, social learning is how media effects one's behavior to imitate what they see in media. The example given is Bandura's Bobo doll experiment, where children watch as a model acts violently toward a Bobo doll and then rewarded with a prize afterwards. This then influences the children to act violently, imitating the video they saw, in order to receive a reward.

To further explain social learning, we allow the media to influence our behavior because of the outcomes we expect after acting a certain way.

Jackass, which first aired in 2000, has had been under scrutiny ever since. This is mainly because younger boys and fans of the show started to imitate the random, dangerous and violent acts that were on the show. In one show, Johnny Knoxville allows little children to shoot him in the privates with paintball guns and in another episode, he lights himself on fire. Two children suffered serious injuries after trying to copy-cat the latter stunt.

In comparison to the Bobo doll study, the boys who imitated the stunts sought attention (such as the kids seeking treats) and saw it as a way to gain recognition as jokesters, much like the Jackass crew. Through social learning, they saw how much popularity and laughs the Jackass cast received and wanted to repeat that outcome. The violence in both the Bobo doll study and the Jackass imitations are very pertinent to each other.

Below is just a sample of the many Jackass imitators that tried to leave the same mark on YouTube as Johnny Knoxville left on TV.

Post #2: Framing In Axe Commercials

Framing undertones many advertisements in today's culture, which shapes the consumer's idea of "society norms."

Dominating groups' use of the media in order to push certain ideas onto subordinate groups (consumers) is embedded in both framing and agenda setting. Dominating groups' (such as big advertising agencies and media conglomerates) tendencies are not just limited to advertisements, but are embedded in the news, entertainment industry and even in a school's curriculum. Branding these ideas are necessary in setting their agenda, or what they want the consumer to think in order for them to purchase their products.

The AXE brand has succeeded. It's hard to turn on the TV or click on a website nowadays and not watch their "Hair Action" Ads. The basic gist of these commercials is that women will notice and immediately lust over men who use AXE products, pretty much throwing themselves at them. The "normal" ideas reinforced include: 1. Hygiene and male grooming are essential in order to have any sort of sexual contact with a female. 2. Girls are easy to fall in lust with guys that have styled hair. And they're promiscious.  3. It's okay for the typical males to go from girl-to-girl in a short span of time.

In addition to reinforcing the idea of guys being a "ladies' man," AXE commercials may offend women consumers, especially with this ad:



What does it say about women? That in society, women are very fickle and get bored easily with men, but sexually they like men who are transit and always changing. Therefore, men need to buy AXE products in order to keep their women interested.

Axe frames these genders stereotypes for the sake of their business.

Mel's First RTF Post

So I may just be one of the only seniors in RTF 305, but I don't mind.

I'm actually enrolled in this class mainly because it's a pre-req for the UTLA program that I'm taking a part in this spring. But I'm also glad I'm taking it, since I've heard good things about this class from non-RTF majors.

I've taken one other RTF class before - Culture in the Media, where we analyzed all sorts of media - from video clips to songs and how it's affected different cultural groups. I really enjoyed that class and probably assume that we will be analyzing movies and film in this class. I hope to learn more about the media and branch it off from what i've already learned in my comm classes.

I'm not an RTF major, if you guessed. I'm actually a journalism major, but I do want to focus on entertainment journalism. So hopefully this class will get me brainstorming about story ideas I can cover.

I've blogged for awhile now and actually have my own blog --- Ohmelgee.com It's mainly just me and my thoughts splattered on screen. But enjoy.