April Media Deconstruction

At first I was going to do the game World of Warcraft, but then realized that it was just so big that it would be had to encompass all of it, especially picking a video that shows the whole game.  So, I decided that I was going to do one of the commercials that was put out for the game.  This particular commercial with Chuck Norris in it has to be one of my favorite.  The first time I saw it was on Hulu and it made me laugh, so I thought I'd share it with you guys too!

1.) Who paid for the ad?
          This particular commercial was paid for by Blizzard Entertainment

2.) Why does the company need to do the ad?
           The goal of any company is to make more money.  World of Warcraft is already a well known game, but commercials like this allow them to gain a even more players.

3.) What group is targeted by the ad?
           The main target audience is people might be considering the game (most likely males between the age of 12-26, but have not yet decided.  I also think that it is aiming at players who already play World of Warcraft.

4.) What about the ad leads one to that conclusion?
            The main reason I think it is targeting people considering the game is that it offers a free trial at the end.  The reason I think it is targeted to current players is that Chuck Norris has been the source of a lot of jokes within the game and using him as a spokesperson is something these players can relate too.

8.) What techniques of persuasion are used?
             The most obvious is the celebrity technique.  By using Chuck Norris (who almost everyone knows) it is giving credibility to the game.  I would also have to say that humor is used in this ad as well.

11.) Is this an example of our "monoploy" media system?
             I do not think so. 

14.) Is it closer to fantasy or reality?
              I would have to say this is very much fantasy.  Nothing that Chuck Norris does in  this commercial could happen in real life (atleast not in the same way), plus they are all toons not actual people.

Since we watch quite a bit of kids channels (especially the Hub since that's where My Little Ponies are) this commercial pops up alot.  Not only is it super annoying to me (and I find myself humming it later on in the day) but it always catches my daughters attention and she's only one.  So, since I heard it once again earlier, I thought it would be a good media deconstruction.

1.) Who paid for the ad?
IdeaVillage Product Corps

2.) Why does the company need to do the ad?
Because it is only a "As Seen on TV" product at this time, the ad is a way for people to become not only aware of the product but also allowing them to purchase it.

3.) What group is targeted by the ad?
This is a fairly easy question, it is targeted to children, I would say between the ages of 2-9 as well as parents and grandparents.

8.) What techniques of persusaion are used?
Bribery is used in the full TV commercial ad when they start offering additional products for "free".  It also utilizes the warm and fuzzy technique in its persuasion to younger children.

9.) What different meanings would different people percieve?
 For this product I would say the biggest difference would be between children and their parents.  Children would see this as a fun and creative toy while adults (or atleast me) view  this product as cheap and probably making a mess.

12.) What is not told?  What related stories are missing?
It is never straight out said, but it is implied that you will be good parents/grandparents if  you purchase this product.  They also do not say the quality or how well the product will hold up.

13.) How does the example try to move emotions?  Is it simple/complex or logical?
I think it tries to move emotion by stating the Wuggle Pets can be your friend.  Most young children view their toys as just more than object and this ad plays this up.  You not only get to create them, determine what goes inside and get a birth certificate, you also get to pick their "attitude".  I think this play on emotions  is very simple. 

PBS Teachers Review

1.) Quiz yourself
 On the first part of the quiz I got 8/12 and on the second part I got "Digital Tools Beginner".  What surprised me about this quiz was the amount of media that kids use. For instance, I did not realize that children used so little print media or that media is used as often as it is in the classroom.

2.) The Digital Media Landscape
What it is- I reviewed the Creative Commons website.  I was really surprised at the different organizations that used their licenses.  I would have never thought that Wikipedia and Whitehouse.gov would use the same license
How do I use it-The Goodwork Project.  I was surprised to see that their was a program that provided toolkits that illustrate how to be a responsible and happy employee.  I learned that not only do these programs exsist, but that they are available for classrooms, professionals and school-wide communities (teachers, students, parents).
Learn more- For this section I reviewed Pew Internet.  From this site I learned just how prevelant social media is in the lives of children.  I also learned why people use social media and the ways it is changing.  For example, friends lists on Facebook have started to decrease as members become more concerned with security.
Examples- I reviewed Glogster for this section.  I really liked this website.  This is one of the most creative and innovative ways I have seen for children to interact with the Internet.  I looked through a couple of these "on-line posters" and was amazed.  For example, I read a glog titled "Why We Need to Save Florida's Reefs" and was surprised to find information on there that I did not know.

3.)PBS Resources
For this section I reviewed the PBS Parents website.  Since I have a young daughter I was interested in the ways to develop healthy media habits for her in the future.  I was surprised that we already do many of the things listed in the area TV for Preschoolers.  We are already picky about what she watches and therefore record shows for when nothing else appropriate is on.  We also don't allow her to view any shows with noticeable violence in them.

4.)Integrating Digital Tools and Content
I choose number 12 which was using Google Earth.  Since I am not an education major I was looking for something I could possibly do with my daughter when she is older.  I like the idea of being able to show her different places without ever leaving my home.  I think it is important for her to understand the geography of the world as I have seen some kids not even realize where countries like China are.  I think Google Earth is a great solution to this and something we can do together.

Media Deconstruction: My Little Pony

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a staple in our house.  My daughter, although she is only a year old looks to watch this show with us.  Even though she is so young, my husband and I have decided that it is a show that conforms to the values we want our daughter to learn.  This alone makes us comfortable to watch it with her.  Overall the series is based on how important friendship is.  This particular episode is one of my favorite.  The focus is on how younger children often view their elders and how inaccurate that view is.  

1.) Who paid for the media?

This show is paid for by HASBRO 

3.)  What group is targeted by this media?

Target audience for this show is young girls between the ages of 3-7.  

4.) What about this media leads one to that conclusion?

The show is very happy, and very bright.  All the main characters are girls who are best friends.  There really are not any inviting parts of this show to a young boy the same age.

7.) What value(s) are reinforced?

One of the biggest values reinforced here was not to judge someone by their age.  Every episode of this show places an emphasis on an individual value.  It also places a focus on the importance of family regardless of their goofiness.

8.) What techniques of persuasion are used?

For this particular show this question is a little harder.  I think humor is the main technique used.  The show is meant to be serious yet funny enough to keep the attention of a young audience.  I also think that in some ways the plain-folk idea is used.  These ponies are nothing spectacular, nor famous (outside the show) and I think the down-to-earth story-lines reinforce this idea.

14.)  Is it closer to fantasy or reality?

Although this is an animated cartoon about talking ponies, I think it can be argued as either.  To me, this is closer to reality in the aspect that the story line is something that everyone goes through in their life.  It is something that can and does happen, although with living-breathing humans.

15.) Does it use stereotypes?

This particular episode is focused on the specific stereotype that older people are often embarrassing.  It is not until the end of the episode that Sweetie Bell realizes just how logical her Granny Smith is in her actions. 

In Class Media Deconstruction

Snuggies for Dogs Media Ad.  We chose this advertisement as a group because we thought it was cute.
http://medialiteracyproject.org/deconstructions/snuggie-dogs

1.  Who paid for the ad:  The makers of Snuggie.

2. Why does the company need to do the ad: To be able to see more of their product and to ensure that people know that the product exists.

3.  What group is targeted by this ad:  Dog owners particularly middle aged white women.

4.  What about the ad leads on to that conclusion: The ad itself contains dogs as well as several middle aged women using the product.


8.  What techniques of persuasion are used: Warm and fuzzy, explicit claims as well as plain folk.  The warm and fuzzy comes the dogs in the ad.  Pet always make people happy.  The explicit claims comes from showing how well the product works and the advantages that come from using the product.  The plain folk is based on non-celebrity, everyday people showing the use of the product.

14.  Is it closer to fantasy or reality:  It is much closer to reality.  People do in fact use this product for their dogs.

15.  Does it use stereotypes:  Yes.  This ad only shows women using the product assuming that men wouldn't want to use it.  I'm sure there are women out that that wouldn't use this product as well as many men who would. 

Reflection of 48 Hour Media Diary

                I would have to say that overall I used different types of media quite frequently throughout the day.  It seems that I used to most varied media during the weekend but probably use media an equal amount of time regardless of the day.  I also seem to spend the most time using media during the afternoons when I’m not in classes and it seems to be used often to complete homework.  I also seem to use media more while my family is home with me, as a majority of the non-homework Internet use and the television use is while they are at home also.

                The main media I use is Facebook (via my smartphone), the television, the Internet (most often via my laptop), the television and the radio in my car.  Overall, I would say that I use a mix of both traditional and digital media.

                I use media in general as a source of entertainment.  I used Facebook to connect with family and friends who live in different states.  That is also what I used Skype for.  I use the Internet quite often to do homework.  I listen to the radio in the car, and am always channel surfing because having music on is something that puts me in a good mood.  The television is almost always on at my house (even now as I write this post) because I like having background noise.    I don’t think that my moods really cause me to use one media over the other. 

                I would have to say that I almost always multi-task while using media.  When I’m on the phone I’m quite often checking the Internet.  When I work on homework I always have the television on in the background. 

                I learned that I used the media quite frequently, and I didn’t realize prior to this just how often.  I have never really thought about how often the television is on or how often that I get on the Internet or my phone.  It made me realize that since I rely on the Internet for almost everything news related in my life, instead of using a newspaper like when I was a kid.