Hannah's Media Blog

This class hasn't really changed my perspective on media, just reinforced ideas that I already had. It's common knowledge that media can have numerous negative impacts on people, especially people as easily influenced as teenagers. The stereotypes and bad habits portrayed in the things we watch make it more likely for us to become those stereotypes, to implement those bad habits. I'm not one to cut myself off from media because of these negative impacts- rather, being aware of them can help one stay away from them. I watch TV almost every night as a way to relax and unwind. I try to focus on the stories and the depth of the characters rather than the surface level of a show. I listen to music constantly, and do find myself behaving like I think the song dictates or how the singer would act, but I think this has more to do with my moods choosing the song, not the other way around. Keeping this blog has helped me think deeper about everything around me, which is good and b

Big Mouth is an animated show that came out in 2017 commenting on adolescence and the struggles of growing up in this modern day and age. I think this show is extremely clever in the way that it takes normal, often very un-amusing situations and turns them into comical experiences that seem absolutely ridiculous. The main example of this is the manifestation of "puberty" as furry monsters that accompany their assigned teen or preteen on their journey to adulthood. They can only be seen by other teens who have hit puberty, which is a joke in itself, and try to influence the kids to act like the stereotypical hormonal girl or boy. For example, the female hormone monster, Connie, eggs Jessie (the main girl character) to steal from a store to deal with her feelings about her parents getting divorced. The way the writers made the hormone monsters the bad guys while making them lovable and the comic relief simultaneously was a stroke of genius. Taking real experiences, real l

Mac Miller's 2018 album "Swimming" was beautiful. This was his final album before he died of an overdose in September of last year. I know most of the posts I've written on this blog have been about certain albums or artists, and that's only because I feel that the media that truly influences youth and relates to teenagers most is music. This album especially has a tone and mood throughout it that appeals to newer techniques and feelings while also capturing a timeless emotion that many can relate to. Mac being only twenty-six when he died, he still had the youthfulness that teens have, and the angst of our generation and time period. First, I wanted to point out the cover art. Malcolm is sitting in a upright coffin in a pink suit barefoot. at first thought, I wanted to believe that it was a representation of his escape from the suicidal thoughts and mental health issues he had struggled with throughout his life. His actions in September said otherwise. I be

I did not have any particular objections to this film, other than that the narrator's voice sounded like one of the tethered from the movie "Us", but it left me feeling like I should. I feel like I should have. I feel like there should be an objection, to a fact they said, or something they left out. Because the thing is, while I don't think that documentary was inaccurate, I feel like there are parts of women's stories that were  minimized to make the hardships seem even more harrowing than reality. For example, the film spent very little time talking about what the media got right, and was much more keen to point out the shortcomings of television vs. the strengths. They mention successful women and have them comment and narrate, but don't go into depth on the specific accomplishments of "the 1st woman anchor" or "1st African American host", etc. They just state the title, the name- here, look, it's the person who broke the gla

Mooks- incompetent, stupid, crude- the ideal male figure according to the media. Midriff- the ideal woman. Sexy, objectified, simple, and dumb. I have seen both these stereotypes in the media, but displayed in more tasteful ways than when this documentary was filmed. I feel like the media hasn't cleaned up these characters really, just given them more depth and personality vs. the surface level characters portrayed before. The first example of a midriff that comes to mind is not a traditional one. In a previous post I talked about Burn Notice. The female lead, Gabrielle Anwar playing Fiona Glenanne, uses her sex appeal to help her with her job. She is trained in guerrilla warfare and works in Miami with her boyfriend as "people who solve problems". This often involves being held at gunpoint or holding someone at gunpoint, blowing things up, or engaging in hand to hand combat. She has a strong work ethic and personality. To approach a male target, she uses her fe

Something I have been somewhat forced to watch since I was old enough to understand English has been political satire. It started with Jon Stewart and Colbert, then evolved to Saturday Night Live, and now my YouTube just feeds me Stand-Up comedy commenting on political issues, clips from late night shows, and Randy Rainbow videos. I was thinking about how people often vote as their parents do. Growing up in a liberal household watching these democrats rail on the republicans, I tend to have a more liberal view on the world. Makes sense, as we are a product of our experiences. I think political commentary in a humorous context is an effective way for people to be aware of what's going on around them. It also influences people's views on the current political climate. As a student, I don't often have time to read all the political articles in the New York Times or catch up on whatever dumb thing trump tweeted Saturday Night Live is a great way for me to stay aware of t

In at least one class every day, some video or documentary is shown. Did students ever stop to think what messages are present in the shows that the teachers provide for us? Under the pretext of educational context, underlying messages that are unintentional could be influencing student's thinking long term. Media can also be having an effect on the school system in general that people are not noticing. Starting with zero period, both creative writing and critical thinking, numerous videos have been played for our class this year. Last semester, Mr. Perry made us watch "Sleepless in Seattle" and analyze it for examples of modern day love as it was shown in the movie. That exposed us to all the ad placements in the movie and added to preconceived expectations and anxiety students could have about love. It only showed straight couples and white people, which limits the perspective of the world our teachers are showing us. In Critical Thinking, we watch documentaries tha

The Black and White album (actually titled #000000 & #FFFFFF, the compute code for those colors) was a mix tape released by the alternative band "The Neighbourhood" in 2014. Unlike their other albums, it's not all about relationships and existentialism. Okay, maybe it is a little, but when has any music escaped that? In addition to these themes, the life of the rich and famous is talked about. Jesse Ruthford, the lead singer of the band, and the rest of the band members originate in LA. The land of Hollywood, and so many famous singers, dancers, actors, actresses, etc. This album talks about that life a little, and going from obscurity to fame. It also talks about some stereotypes of California and the lifestyle that goes hand in hand with growing up in this state.  The third track, called "warm", opens with Jesse singing "you need to get off my mind". The song is a story about a long term relationship where at least one party is extremel

Hobo Johnson, a rather obscure rapper/musician, covers so many different but equally important topics in his music. Politics, love, social standards, rough childhoods. He makes unknown references that engage a listener. His music is raw and emotional, but also humorous and easy to relate to. This makes Frank (the lead singer and writer) the perfect example how media can effect my view of the world. Sending political messages through music has been going on for a long time. Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" to the Beatles' "Revolution" or even the Cranberry's "Zombie". Music is used to process life. The more authentically an artist can do that, the more the message comes through. The only reason I give these examples is to show how these messages can vary, but how all music has on thing in common- trying to get a message across. I believe Frank and his band do that extraordinarily well. Their debut album  "The Rise of Hobo Johnson"

The 2005 show Burn Notice is incredibly entertaining. Set in Miami, Florida, it details the life of a spy who was kicked out, or "burned" from, the organization who he was working for. Jeffery Donovan stars as Michael, but also wrote, directed and helped produce the show. He may have intentionally put the underlying messages and morals in this show that a watcher might unintentionally pick up, most of which shown through product placement. The first, and most major ad for a policy or group is for the NRA. One of the main characters, Fiona, is a gun nut, and all the characters in the show use weapons regularly. There are a ton of shoot outs and gun fights between Michael, Sam, and Fi (the main characters) and whatever criminal organization they are fighting at the time. The lifestyle they live is pretty badass, and it appeals to the person watching. They want to live that life; be a spy like Michael Westen. The association between the lifestyle they live and guns is so inter

In advertising today, I have seen all of the four marketing strategies mentioned in "The Persuaders" video. The one that struck a chord most with me, however, was lovemarks. From shoes to clothing to bicycles to cars and more, advertising lovemarks are ingrained in our society. All you have to do is look around the halls at school- look at the Converse, Vans, Birkenstocks and Doc Martins worn religiously since the 80s for most of them, the scrunchies on almost every girl's wrist, the American Eagle and Urban Outfitters logos, Apple vs Android debates, etc. All of these brands use a form of lovemarking to sell these products. With these particular brands and the high school environment, I believe the appeal to fit in and look like everyone else does takes over for many people, and these companies play on those feelings, making their brand the one you haft  to have or the one that is what you see most. The images put out by these brands are often showing beautiful, unre

Yes, trolling is bad, but I'm just giving Trump a taste of his own medicine. If I get points taken off, so be it (though I think Starace just doesn't want us trolling each other). This is an analysis of Trump's inaugural address using George Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language". Right off the bat, Donald makes an error. Saying " We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people". This statement is as vague as answering a yes or no question with "okay". Rebuild? Rebuild how? Is our country lacking buildings? Roads? Rebuild what? He also doesn't specify what promise he is referring to.  Actually, the whole speech is filled with the vague political language Orwell paints in a negative light. Examples of this include " We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done" and " Th

Analyzing current music for its meaningful content moves you away from what's on the radio and what's popular. There are so many artists and albums and bands coming out daily, making it difficult to find what you like and even more difficult to identify why. Everyone has their own particular style (both the artists and listeners) and everyone can interpret music in the way it will benefit them most. This analysis  is really going to be about how mental health, the good and the bad, shows through in music, focusing on one particular example. Recently, artist Billie Eilish released her new album and made half the world, and probably more than half of our school, explode. Just starting out stating my opinion- I think she's absolutely incredible and that it's amazing that she has built a career at 17. Her age also makes her easy to relate to and approachable. Her personality in interviews is open, modest, and generally kind. That being said, let us dive into an analysis

My relationship with media, compared to those of my peers and in this time period, I would say is a relatively good one. And good is an incredibly vague word, so let me explain. I use the resources and media around me to my advantage to make my experience on this earth better. The first example of this, and the one that comes to mind easiest, is music. I listen to music constantly to elevate my feelings or suppress them, and to make moments more meaningful. I use it to hype myself up or calm down, and simply because I enjoy it. It makes me happy. I've never thought about music as a source of media before. Though my parents have surely been concerned with some of the messages the grittier rap I listen to has (gotta love Mac Miller for scaring my parents out of my room), I never thought about it influencing my thoughts, which is what media does. At least, I've never thought about it unconsciously influencing me. I think the point of this assignment is to become aware of those