Jaye Dundas Media

A lot of the information in this weeks reading was a review of topics already covered such as primary and secondary sources. Chapter 8 discusses how to find and evaluate sources of evidence when writing a critical thinking essay. When explaining primary and secondary sources it introduces 'cross referencing' and it's importance in order to check the validity of the source. The chapter reminds us of how essential it is to use more than one source as this will help to validate the evidence as well as providing more support o your argument.

Another new term was 'literary searches'. This is not something I had encountered before and I have since found it a great help when collecting sources and research on my essay topic. Obviously the main aim of this chapter is to help us understand how to identify how truthful a source of evidence is. In the chapter, many concepts are explained that are key to analysing evidence such as authenticity, currency, reliability, probability, and controlling for variables.

For me, a key point in the chapter was how to identify if a source is trustworthy. All too often we rely on the first source that we find and just go with it. This chapter encourages to think about if that information we are receiving, and subsequently using to support our arguments, is actually substantial evidence. Personally, I saved the PDF of this chapter to my external hard drive for future reference and reminder, as in my career I want to focus on research for television.

Critical Media Studies 2.0 looks at the challenge facing media studies experts to explain how the social context has shifted in order to 'absorb and deflect the critical potential of interactive media'. Interactive media is one of the largest media outputs of the modern era, but the author M. Andrejevic looks at how the critical media studies need to develop new practices of making sense of this as current ways are already outdated. He argues that there should be an updated theory on exploitation, and goes on to offer ideas of how these things can be improved. One point he is very consistent about is the fact that critical media studies are not interested in media for their own sakes but rather for society's sake. "Herein lies the challenge: to develop critical approaches that are suited to the contemporary media environment, rather than to assume that because media have transformed, social relations have too."

The second reading proved a much easier read. In it, the author explains how Google, and databases like it, have made the beginning of the end to theory. Theory means to make sense of the world. The article explains how theory was based on models throughout history, but that all models are wrong, albeit useful. However, Google has eradicated these models as it's database contains all the information we need to access to try and understand the world. "It didn't pretend to know anything about the culture and conventions of advertising — it just assumed that better data, with better analytical tools, would win the day. And Google was right."

Week 7 Reading: Andrejevic, M. (2009). 'Critical Media Studies 2.0: an interactive upgrade', Interactions: Studies in Communication and Culture 1:1, pp. 33-51.

Within all academic writing there is an overall argument, a point of view that the author holds and is trying to convey to the audience/reader. This reading explains the different elements that make up an academic argument. It begins with explaining that if you can detect what the primary argument is, then you are more equipped to turn your attention to the relevant material. In critical thinking it is key that you are able to evaluate the arguments presented based on their merit - the quality of reasoning within the argument. Being able to recognise if an argument is good or bad, even when it conflicts or supports your opinion, is another essential.

I found this reading a huge help in piecing together my essay, as it reminded me of the structures I need to write a well informed and strong argument. The reading clearly explains how contributing arguments are the individual reasons that support the overall argument - the author's position. A set of contributing arguments or reasons are also known as the 'line of reasoning'.

Although I was aware of how an argument is presented beforehand, this reading did help in reminding me of the different terms used for parts of an argument such as propositions, conclusions, premises, false premises, and predicate. It is easy to forget these elements when structuring your essay and overall argument but this chapter is a fantastic reference that explains each of the characteristics of how an argument is structured, and has certainly assisted me in my essay plan.

Research is a key role in the media industry because without it, the industry would be a chaos of repetition and inaccuracy. By doing research it allows you to create the best possible product. To explain a bit more about what research is, the reading for this topic was Chapter 1: What is Research? from Media and Communication Research Methods: An Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches by Arthur Asa Berger. In this chapter, Berger uses eight different points to explain how research works.

The first point is called We All Do Research All The Time. Berger explains how everyone is constantly doing research, even if they are unaware of doing it. This refers to everyday research such as deciding what new laptop to get, or who is the actor in that show who I recognise? Berger defines research as meaning ‘to search for; to find’, or ‘looking for information about something.

Next, Berger introduces the fact that Scholarly Research Is Different From Everyday Research. Here he explains the key differences between the two. Scholarly research is systematic, objective, carefully thought through, and concerned with facts. Based on theory rather than thought, it presents structured, logical focus about knowledge of reality – facts rather than opinions. However, this doesn’t make it quantitative research as much scholarly research doesn’t include statistics at all. History is a prime of example of this, based on firsthand accounts of events and evidence. On the other hand, everyday research is less about facts and more about opinions. It is intuitive and casual, and often happens on the spur of the moment, such as looking up what musical you should see based on your mood and money situation (we saw Wicked by the way!).

Berger’s third point discusses The Problem of Certainty, and how we rarely, if ever, get certainty from our research as even statistics are open to disagreement because of the way each individual interprets information. The author suggests that this doesn’t mean that ‘anything goes’, but it is our research that gives us the ‘reasons’ to interpret information the way that we do. In order to support those reasons, evidence is needed which you get from doing research. Berger reckons that the evidence you reference can be used to identify how good the research you have done is.

Diachronic and Synchronic Research – terms that sound rather confusing, and are easily confused. Diachronic simply means “we focus on change over time”, while Synchronic means “we study change over distance.” Oxford Dictionaries simplifies this for us again explaining the difference. Diachronic is defined as “concerned with the way in which something, especially language, has developed and evolved through time.” Synchronic is defined as “concerned with something, especially a language, as it exists at one point in time.” Historical studies mostly use diachronic research whilst synchronic research is often used in comparative studies.

On How The Mind Works brings us back to considering how people view the world we live in. Berger references Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, who argued that people make sense of the world by forming binary oppositions such as raw and cooked, tall and short, fat and thin, etc. Facts don’t always tell us everything we want to know so by forming these binary oppositions we can deduct more information. This then leads onto the next segment, entitled Overt and Covert Oppositions, and explains how sometimes in research the information can be either Overt (it is shown openly; very apparent) or Covert (it is not openly acknowledged; it is there but it is hidden).

The next explanation is probably the most important within media research and is entitled On Quantity and Quality in Media Research. There are four main types of research with the media industry: Primary, Secondary, Quantitative, and Qualitative research. Here, Berger looks at the latter two, Quantitative and Qualitative research. Quantitative research is done using numbers and calculations, data that is collected in numerical form, and often presented through graphs and statistics. It can be collected using surveys, carefully constructed questionnaires featuring closed questions, which means that the respondent can only choose from a selection of answers that do not allow for elaboration or explanation. Quantitative research is important in the media industry especially when considering who the target market is, and is there actually a market for the media product in question as quantitative research can give the producers closely accurate statistics. Qualitative research is the opposite, and relies on opinions, explanation, and elaboration of answers. Whilst quantitative research can reveal how big the target market could be, qualitative research can tell you who they are, what they like, what they don’t like, what they would change, and so on and so forth.

Media and Communication explains the five aspects of communication. • Intrapersonal which covers our communication with ourselves • Interpersonal which covers our communication and interaction with others • Small group discusses how one person communicates with a small group, such as a teacher communicating to their class of students • Organisational which covers an organisations communication with members of the organisation or interested parties • Mass Media which covers who the media communicates with its audience (humanity) and vice versa

Week 4 Reading:

Oxford Dictionary defines ‘critical’ as 

1.       expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art.

When using the term ‘critical thinking’ in media, we mean the ability to deconstruct a situation and look beyond the immediate questions. For example, in Social Media: A Critical Introduction, Christian Fuchs uses the example of questions asked concerning the topic of power and social media. The common questions include, ‘What is social media?’, ‘Who uses social media?’, and ‘About what do people communicate on social media?’ Fuchs then comments on two things; firstly, that of all the typical questions asked concerning the topic, none of them allude to the topic of power; and secondly, all the questions are based on a particularised subject.

Critical thinking isn’t a skill that most of us have naturally. It is usually a skill that is developed and worked upon over time, it is a skill to be gained. The ability to take a topic, consider the typical questions, and then look beyond and dig further into the topic is a valuable skill that can be applied to everyday life, not just media. The general thought when media is mentioned is social media, television, and gaming, but what is it really? Why are people obsessed with it? How has it become a necessity to normal life? Is it dangerous? These are questions that look beyond.

Critical thinking challenges us to think differently and consider more than one answer or possibility. It allows us to learn, and understand other viewpoints in a constructive and informative way.

Readings for Week 3:

Christian Fuchs, Social Media: A Critical Introduction (2014) What is Critical Thinking and why does it matter? [Book] Available from Sage Knowledge. Accessed October 2015

There is no singular answer to this, but in fact many. Roger Silverstone discusses numerous of these reasons in his Why Study The Media? (1999), and though written sixteen years ago, it’s just as viable today, if not more-so.

 “…it raises so many questions, questions that cannot be ignored, questions that emerge from the simple recognition that our media are ubiquitous, that they are daily, that they are an essential dimension of contemporary experience.”

Media has always been a part of human existence. From writing on stone slabs, drawings on cave walls, scrolls, letters, journals, art, books, newspapers, telegrams, to radio, phones, television, and the internet; the media has always been a part of our lives. It is through these various media forms that we have learnt about the world around us, and the world before us. Scraps of history that have survived, left to us by previous generations to share news of their lives, reports of major world events, and just their general living. We think of media as being a modern invention of the modern world, but it has always been there, slowly evolving over time until the early 1900′s when it began to accelerate. Look back at history - all the accounts of events that have been shared across hundreds of years.

To study the media is to study, understand and try and make some sort of sense of our world.

The media gives people a voice. It allows us to challenge and understand the world more intricately. Why study the media? Because we want answers to questions.

Readings for Week 2:

Roger Silverstone, Why Study The Media? (1999) Chapter 1:The Texture of Experience [Book] Available in eBook format or physical copy. Accessed October 2015

In truth, I don't believe there any one set answer for the question, 'what is university education for?' because it is probably a different answer for each individual student, and then another answer for university boards and professors. For me personally, my university education is for several different reasons.

Reason 1: To further develop my knowledge and skills within my chosen field of Television Production. I've been studying the subject for six years both in BTEC college and in my spare time, and university is my chance to learn even more about the industry, develop my skills, gain experience, make contacts, and work in industry standard environments. Come second year, I can also concentrate on the areas I want to work when I leave uni for the real world.

Reason 2: To better myself and meet new people. At home - Northern Ireland - I don't have the same opportunities to meet new people, especially ones who share my interests and who have different life experiences.

 tWhat is media and society? This was the very first thing we are asked to consider, which led into a discussion about Social and Political Debates within Media. However, I don't think of Media and Society directly relating to debates, but rather the existing, and changing, relationship between the Media and Society (the audience, or consumer). As media technology develops, the relationship changes, because suddenly society - the consumers - have access to so much more information that they wouldn't have had access to less than a decade ago. You can find anything on the internet, television and film has few boundaries left to break, anyone can voice their opinion to an audience, magazines/newspapers have the technology to be more invasive, privacy is a long forgotten dream, stories can be shared to millions within hours using social media platforms; with the media technology developments these days, nearly anything is possible. Years ago, the Media was a world known to an exempt few, and to everyone else it was where you got your evening home entertainment and news, and that was the limit of the relationship between them. Now? The media controls the world and the world controls the media. One can no longer live without the other.

If you want to work in the media, you need to understand the relationship between media and society. Society fuels the media and it's content, and the media makes it content for society, for it's audience. Media can make stars out of society members, and members of society can use the media to build a reputation for themselves - to fuel their fame. The Kardashians, anyone?

Despite this precious relationship between the two, Britain apparently still seems to consider Media Studies as a 'mickey mouse' subject, according to a student blogger on The Guardian (theguardian.com). The blog quotes Professor Philip Thickett, head of Birmingham City University's school of media, as saying, "You don't live in a 'mickey mouse' world and media studies is certainly no 'mickey mouse' degree." I quite agree with him. Having studied media at BTEC level in college for four years before coming to university, I can honestly say that I have learnt far more about working in an industry of an incredibly high standard, than many of my acquaintances have about their chosen field of work whilst studying at university, because so many other courses tend to concentrate on the theory and academic side of the subject, whereas, the media courses teach you the theory but dedicate themselves to teaching how to do your job properly and under the pressures of working in the industry in the real world. By giving you the experience within the courses, they are already setting you up for jobs once you leave uni. And believe me, if you think that media studies is 'soft or an 'easy ride' subject, please, try working on a live studio production the week before Christmas with no rehearsals, a drunk guest, and then throw in some technical problems halfway through the show, and then come back to me and tell me  media studies is a 'mickey mouse' degree.

An additional point as to why any Media Studies degree is awesome - you have a blast! You get to do some incredible projects, learning a large range of skills (including working with people), as well as meeting a lot of really interesting folk along the way.

Week 1 Reading List:

The Guardian (2014) Media studies: it's not a 'mickey mouse' degree. [Online] Available from http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2014/feb/03/why-study-media-studies-students Accessed October 2, 2015

Nine Top Tips For Media Students 

From here on in, my posts will be mostly relating to my uni work and assignments.