final class blog

write 500 to 700 words answering the following question:
construct a media analysis of an advertisement. use the tools we discusses in the beginning of the semester to critique any ad from any medium, including billboards or specialty ads. Choose any 2 of the 5 areas of analyses to dissect the ad. (ideological, mythical, autobiographical, nonverbal, and production elements)

This is an ad for the new Mercedes-Benz S-class. The main selling point of this ad is that this new vehicle has 8 airbags, which are misogynistically represented by 4 pairs of breasts. It is impossible to know that this is advertising for an automobile without trying to read the super-fine print and doing more research on the company that created the ad. Some versions of this ad did not have any label or logo representing the Mercedes-Benz company at all.

SO... why am I focusing on this particular ad? What am I going to focus on? There are 5 areas of analysis for any medium:
1. ideological: focuses on a worldview - in this case it shows that the ad targets heterosexual males and objectifies women on the same level as cars
2. mythical: focuses on a fantasy-like quality- if you buy this car you will be cushioned by the love, warmth and protection of these women's supple bosoms
3. autobiographical: is my personal point of view - how do I react to this picture
4. nonverbal: anything that is not explicitly said - in this ad, anything that is not written out... so pretty much the entire ad
5. production elements: camera angle, lighting, colors, makeup, effects, etc.

Why am I focusing on this ad?
This particular advertisement is a clear example of a controversial ad, and there are many elements that can be discussed. It can be dissected to be further understood. There are facets of the advertisement that are not immediately obvious - so let's dive in!

What will I focus on?
Autobiographical:

Where are the lovely faces of the women in this ad?? Why are their breasts exposed? Is there a point to this image besides the aesthetically pleasing nature of the plump breasts of these women? I was immediately struck by the obvious sexual appeal of this ad. However, how is this relevant to Mercedes? Wait! There is some sort of heiroglyphic or microscoping cave drawing in the center... could there be intelligent life behind this image?! Whomever thought of this made the connection between the safety features of the added airbags in the new S-class and the sexual appeal, which I'm not sure that I understand or agree with, but it may be an effective selling point. My reaction to this ad, is that it seems inappropriate or completely unrelated to automobiles - there is not even an car visible in the ad. We don't know anything about this vehicle other than that there are 8 airbags, which we are led to believe are similar to the inflated breasts of these women.

Production Elements:

This ad was primarily placed in mens' magazines such as Maxim & GQ. It is clear that the ad is targeting hetersexual males, assuming that they appreciate large breasts and luxury vehicles. The angle of the camera in this shot highlights the round, supple shape of the breasts of the models, while effectively removing any identifying features of these women. There is also no blemish visible on any feature of the women, further supporting media views that perfection is ideal. Also, this ad appeared in magazines for Latinos and African-Americans which showed women with breasts that were of darker skin tones. The lighting in this ad is bright to highlight the roundness of the breasts of these women, and dark to cover any other features.

blog 6 - radio

For blog entry 6, write 400 to 600 words answering the following question:
Do you like to listen to the radio? Why or why not? If yes, what do you like? How often do you listen? If not, is there anything a radio station could do to change that?


i actually listen to the radio everyday when i am driving in my car. i love the variety of music, the different station personalities and music genres available, and sometimes i even like the commercials! i can learn about radio contests, sales, concerts, and new job opportunities. i actually got one of my jobs in college because i learned about the opening from an ad on the radio. one thing that i really like about radio is that its completely and totally free for me to listen. i am a tiny bit ADD so i get a bit bored listening to my own music over and over again... listening to the radio i can discover new songs and artists i might not have heard about. i like to switch up my music stations frequently because i enjoy almost every kind of music available. i frequently bounce from top 40 hits to country to rock to talk radio... all in a 15 minute car ride to work! I listen to radio to catch up on news and celebrity gossip and feel connected to the world when I cant get on the computer. Radio gives me a lot of freedom in my musical tastes. I know a lot of people that can’t stand the radio because they think it’s the same music over and over, but I get annoyed when I ride with them and we listen to a CD by an artist. All of the songs seem to sound the same, and it’s especially excruciating when I dislike the artist in the first place. I like to keep my music interesting and change it up frequently. I do agree with my friends that feel that a lot of songs are overplayed on the radio. Frequently, when a song reaches high popularity, it is requested and played so often that it seems to be on everytime you turn on the radio. Also, I know that a lot of songs aren’t released by an artist, so if I ONLY listen to the radio, I could miss out on some awesome music by artists that I know and love. So, I try to moderate my usage of radio and other media outlets to access music so that I’m never missing out on something wonderful. Overall, I think that radio is still a valuable medium and I definitely still use and appreciate it.

blog 5

Choose a media artifact & critique it from an ethical standpoint. Does the artifact violate any of the ethical values discussed today, such as truthfulness, fairness, & public accountability? What argument do you think the producers of the artifact might make in their defense?

I will be discussing “The Biggest Loser” TV “reality” show. While this show is not the most high-rated of programs, it has high popularity among Americans, especially middle- and working- class television viewers. I don’t think that the show itself violates any ethical values. However, the prime entertainment of the show is to wallow in the pain and humiliation that the participants are subjected to, and this does seem unethical. Producers of this show are profiting from the embarrassment of other and playing off their own self-consciousness. The misery of other is exploited for entertainment and a profit. I do enjoy this show, because it is one of the few competition-style programs on reality TV in which I am cheering for everyone, hoping that they all do well. It seems unfair that the participants do not get to share in the profits that the CEO’s and producers generate from broadcasting their hardships. These people work very hard and suffer through so much embarrassment. You can bet that the producers do not care much for the feelings and welfare of these individuals. They only care for their own well-being and money these participants can make for them. The harder it is for the contestants, the more pain they suffer, the higher the ratings are, and thus higher profits. Many Americans enjoy watching this show because it is a real-life problems that faces a high percentage of American citizens, and seeing these people accomplish their goals gives us hope that we too can overcome extreme odds and beat the system that slows us down and stops us from reaching our goals. These people give us hope, and show us that our lives could be worse, and no matter how huge a problem may seem, we can overcome it if we work hard.
As far as ethical values go, there are definitely some issues with fairness and public accountability of the producers of the show. The producers make it seem like it is a possibility for anyone to lose excessive amounts of weight as long as they work hard, and cry. How healthy are the habits the trainers and dieticians are enforcing? Is it safe for these participants to change their lifestyle so drastically? Is it safe for them to lose so much weight so quickly? Also, is it likely that these people will continue these lifestyle changes, or will the go right back to their previous habits? This yo-yoing cannot be good for these people. The human body cannot sustain so many drastic changes. The key to successful weight loss is to have and maintain a healthy, practical lifestyle.
The producers might argue first, that the participants have signed up for this project. Second, they might argue that these people are already unhealthy because of their obesity. However, these excuses (that is what they are – mere excuses) do not mean it is safe, healthy, or ethical to subject participants to such a grueling physical and emotional trauma, and flaunt it for the world to see and make a profit. There has to be a more ethical way of helping Americans to overcome this obesity epidemic. This show is not a practical or ethical answer.

Class Evaluation

Blog entry #3:
1) What about this class do you enjoy and/or find interesting? What would you likeus to do more of?

I think that as a person you (Jeremy Groce) have an interesting past and a lot of experience to draw on and use for examples in the classroom. I wish you would use this experience to bring more interesting and memorable topics into lecture.

2) What about this class do you not enjoy so much and/or would like to see improvement on?

Everything we learn in class is available outside of class - in the book, and in the notes online. I feel that as a college class I would like to learn more from you in the classroom that what is available from the books and your lecture notes. I feel that this class has potential to be very interesting & we could learn a lot from you with your extensive experience...

3) Do you have any other suggestions, comments, or questions?

That is all...

Blog #2: oral culture to print culture and back again... have we come a full circle?

Topic: Many scholars believe that we have moved from living in a "print culture" to living in an "electronic media culture" which is in many ways more similar to an "oral culture." They argue that people now get most of their important information from "conversations" on radio and TV. Would you agree or disagree with this? Why?

I think that I disagree with these scholars. While many of us receive information via electronic media, how many people communicate through conversations more than print/reading? I know that just watching students in class, so many people are communicating via text message and email. In my opinion, these forms of communication are forms of a “print culture” which we are clearly still immersed in. Even watching TV or the news, we have to read the TV guide to discern which programs appeal to us. We must read the sports highlights at the bottom of the screen on ESPN to find out how the competition is faring. We read the headlines as we walk past newsstands and tabloids in the grocery store to discover the new hot gossip and breaking news stories. On the news at night, they always have the important details of stories written on the screen so that we can comprehend what is going on in the world around us. They provide video footage and photos to help us understand, but we get the main points of the story from what is written. Even on the TV, our weather warnings are typed across the bottom of the screen. We are clearly in an “electronic media culture,” but I do not agree that our culture has descended the ladder back to an “oral culture.” Our culture has combined the best of both worlds to inform and reinforce what we know and learn everyday. Research shows that everyone learns differently. Some people prefer to read and memorize information, others like to hear what they are learning, while others like to learn in a more hands-on manner and see what happens. Our culture has combined all of these learning techniques to effectively transmit information to our society. We have not gone back to the “oral culture” of our ancestors; we have learned what works for us and applied our knowledge to create a hybrid culture of our own.

UMSC blog 1: Twilight. don't judge me!

Hello to whoever on the world wide web might decide to read my blog! I am a senior at NDSU who has NO IDEA what she wants to do with her life! I just switched my major from Zoology/Pre-Med to Management Communications with a PR & advertising minor.

This blog is intended for my Comm 112 class… I’m hoping to exceed all expectations in this class. It would be a great start to my Comm. career!

Our first assignment: apply any analyses to and media artifact. This topic is broad, and leaves a lot of room for experimentation and fun for our first assignment… So here goes!

I’m going to make this VERY easy for our first assignment. The media artifact I have chosen is the “Twilight” saga by Stephenie Meyers (for those unaware of the growing epidemic of “Twilight”-obsessed young women – it is an intense romantic series about a vampire, Edward, and a 17-year-old girl, Bella, who fall in love and the trials and controversies they face). I will be doing a mythical analysis of “Twilight”
There are a few myths represented in the series. First, there is the obvious myth of vampires. Vampires are creatures that drink blood and apparently do not die. According to some sources they only come out at night, other s say that they will die if exposed to sunlight. According to Stephenie Meyers, they sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight. Meyers portrays the Cullen family as a “vegetarian” family of vampires – meaning they drink the blood of animals instead of people. This myth might be brought in as a metaphor for what kind of people the Cullens are - they may have the opportunity to drain the life out of everyone around them, but choose to be ethical and let the humans remain alive. It might simply be a myth used to create the fictional and creative background of the story. We are never sure of a writer’s motivations for writing.
The second myth is one about werewolves, or shape-shifters. These are young men from a nearby Quileute Indian reservation that can morph into enormous wolves due to a genetic defect. This myth is employed to create a conflict between characters and strengthen the plot of the book. If there is one mythical creature, why not add another?
The last myth is that of a perfect fairytale love, that can last eternally. In the story, Bella becomes a vampire so the love will quite literally last forever. This myth is applied to maintain the rose-colored tint the whole story is lined with. It’s what we all want: to have a perfect love with a perfect lover who has all the time for us that we need and listens and cares about us, and that we are also fiercely attracted to this person and we work well together, and that we’re willing to push all boundaries for this love. In reality no person and no love is perfect. No one finds love that easily, and has it last for the rest of their life. It makes the readers feel nostalgic to believe that this could happen for a fictional character, because it gives them hope that they can still find this love. The truth is that love is work. You have to work hard to have a healthy relationship with a significant other and communicate well to avoid controversy and confusion. To be truthful, very few of us will push all boundaries for love, and it is impossible for anyone to be perfect, so a perfect love is an impossibility. We can keep trying, but until then – keep picking up Stephenie Meyers’ books and live vicariously through Edward and Bella!