"Reality" Television

One recently developed media genre is the genre of Reality Television. From classics like "Survivor," in which people compete for a cash prize while stranded on a desert island, to a show in its first season, "The Biggest Loser" (overweight people competing to see who can loose the greatest amount of weight throughout the season), reality TV has quickly pervaded American media and entertainment. While the topics and premises of these shows come in myriad forms, they all follow some basic formulas.

First, almost every one of these shows takes place in an exotic or luxurious location. Project Runway takes place right in downtown New York City and Survivor strands contestants on a tropical, remote island. Both ends of the spectrum capture viewers' attention and offering them and "escape" from reality (and ironic plus from a genre titled "reality television") The settings also always afford drama and romance. On the Real World season set in Las Vegas, the housemates lived in the top floor of the Palms hotel right in the heart of Sin City. That in and of itself invites drama, but the layout of the house further encourages naughty behavior. Not only was there a hot tub in the middle of the living room, but there is a giant community bathroom in which they are put in close quarters while they are scantily clad.

Another landmark feature of the reality television is scripted roles and character personna. Males are usually portrayed as intelligent and leaders. Women, on the other hand are often seen as manipulative and catty or as sexual objects. There are also expected roles on each show as well. Usually there is a host or judges of some kind that serve almost as a Greek chorus. The shows also tend to have an underdog character, whom the audience usually really likes.

Regardless of whether or not you are a fan of reality TV, you have to admit that it's made an impact on American society.

Media Ethnography: Getting Lost in "Lost"

My boyfriend, Dustin, and I are both avid fans of the TV show "Lost." We watch the show together every week, and we are always looking forward to the next new episode. I decided to interview him about his attitudes and motivations in watching the show. What I found was that we have very different motivations in watching the show and that our viewing meets different purposes in our lives.

When I asked him about why he watches the show, he said that it was because he thought it was "the smartest show on television." He likes the fact that the show alludes to many other texts and is heavily based in mythology and other themes. It also keeps the viewer interested because he or she can almost never predict what is going to happen next. Dustin was also really drawn to the show because he likes a lot of the other work that the creater and producer, J.J. Abrams, has done, so he expected it to be good. For him, another big draw is the action and the intensity of the plot. I also asked him if he discusses the show with friends or if he interacts with the show in anyway outside of the normal weekly viewing time of the show. He sometimes listens to podcasts about the show where people talk about different theories regarding what is going on in the show, but not regularly. He also frequently discusses the show with his friends and admits that he has to keep up with what is going on in order to keep up with them. For him, knowing about the happenings in the show is almost a type of social capital in his group of friends.

After watching the show with him for a long time now, I expected most of these answers, but after reflecting a bit on how I would respond to the same questions, I was surprised at how we interact differently with the show. While we watch the show together every week, I think we take different things away from it. I am also very interested in the allusions and subcontexts of the show, but am far less interested in the action and adventure. I am really drawn to the characters on the show and how they interact. I realized that I love watching the show every week because the characters are so familiar that I can't wait to see what will happen next in their "lives." For me, the show has far less social capital. I don't usually talk about the show with my friends and I don't interact with the show in any way outside of the normal hour long broadcast.

Our varied responses really surprised me. I had assumed that all people liked the show for the same reasons that I did! More than that though, I realized that Dustin takes away a very different meaning from the show that the meaning that I construct from it. We both value literary allusion and critical analysis and are able to see that represented in the show, but I think I am a far more passive recipient of the text. Dustin seems to actively seek out meanings for the show, researching elsewhere and discussing with other people. He may seem more actively engaged in the show. On the other hand, I look forward to the show every week to experience it as entertainment on a more aesthetic level, but I seldom experience the show as a separate "reality." I think that maybe our seemingly opposing experiences with the show are what make us keep watching the show together!

Adolescents in the Media

Just a quick search in google images for "adolescents" brought up these random images. They were the first thre that I saw. What I think is really interesting is that the creators of these images are probably adults. These images reflect how adults see adolescents, which is proably not a true representation of adolescence. For example, in the cartoon, we see a young person blasting music to the detriment of his mother's hearing. We also see adolescents acting almost childish standing upside down and fooling around with a group of friends. We know that adolescence is socially constructed as it is. These images construct an image of adolescence that does not empower young people nor highlight what we, as teachers, know that they are capable of.

Skyy Vodka, of course!

I've also been fascinated by the ad campaign that Skyy vodka runs. You get a lot of what you would expect from an alcohol advertisement - scantily clad women and the promise of sexual prowess if you drink this liquor. However, I am always drawn to the ads because of their bright colors and the way in which they play with texture. The ad that I chose to analyze is as ad for Skyy's regular, unflavored vodka. This ad captured my attention in an issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. The image depicts a man and a woman encapsulated in a bubble floating on the surface of a perfect aqua swimming pool. The water looks very inviting and refreshing. The pool deck and seating is all a pristene white and there is not a cloud in the sky. The whole poolside setting is very luxurious. In the foreground, we see a martini shaker and a bottle of Skyy vodka sitting on a sleek, white table. The man is wearing a dishelved black suit with his shirt unbutton a few buttons and the woman has on a very revealing white dress with the back cut out and slits up above her thighs. Both people are incredibly attractive and have a martini in their hands. They have their arms around eachother as they balance in this bubble floating on the pool's surface. This text lends itself very well to both a gender based and a class based critique.

First, the picture clearly holds sex appeal and associates the drinking of the product with sexual success and dominance. Both the man and the woman have martinis in their hands and are embracing eachother. They are both very attractive and are wearing dishelved clothing, which suggests sex. The advertiser wants the consumer to think that everyone he or she drinks Skky vodka, he or she will hook up with someone as attractive as the people in the ad. This idea is absurd alone, not to mention the fact that the sex will occur in a giant bubble above a swimming pool, as the ad suggests. The also objectifies the woman in the picture, revealing that this ad has a specific audience, mainly those who objectify women. While both the man and the woman are very attractive, the woman is barely wearing a dress that reveals a large amount of skin, while the man is fully clothed in a suit.

In addition to analyzing this text through a lens of gender, we can also look at it as stemming from a discourse of class. The whole setting of the pool suggests upper class luxury. The pool is pristene, the pool desk is a crisp white color, and the design of the furniture is modern and clean. This advertiser wants the consumer to associate Skky vodka with luxury. The ad suggests that drinking this product will make you part of the upper class with access to a pool like the one in the picture. This is not the neighborhood pool with five year olds running around, but your private pool where you can make out with the woman/man of your dreams.