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Wow! The Tropes Vs Women and The Bechdel Test video clips were a game changer for me. I like to think that I am an advocate for gender equality. Yet, I hadn’t noticed that this principle was being applied to some of my favorite movies and television shows. These tropes are highly visible, yet, because this has become such a normal occurrence in the media, we often do not actually perceive what is going on. In this case, many forms of media often only feature one leading woman surrounded by a cast of men. This is often referred to as “the smurfette principle.” Women are often stereotyped as being blonde, passive, or playing a limited role in society such as mother or wife.  In the educational article, The Children Are Watching, author Carlos E. Cortes, defines the term stereotype as “powerful, evocative terms” that “when used carefully and selectively, they communicate powerful ideas.” (Cortes, 2000, Pg. 2.) In this article, Cortes explores the media from an ideological perspective. He argues that it is in our nature to generalize. However, mass media often subscribe certain traits to these stereotypes.

It is my opinion that, the aforementioned smurfette principle is issuing a powerful message to young women, and society as a whole, that in order to be of value a woman must be surrounded by men at all times. Otherwise, she can only define herself as just being a wife or just being a mother. Women are constantly being stereotyped in the media and the smurfette principle is just one example of how this is occurring. It is very rare that filmmakers cast a woman and  portray her as a multifaceted character with many talents outside who she is in comparison to a man.

I was shocked at how many movies did not pass the Bechdel Test. In order to pass this test the movie or television show must pass the following questions:

1.) Are there two or more women present (with names)

2.) Do these women speak to one another

3.) Do they speak to one another about a topic other than a man      

I even applied these rules to one of my favorite shows on Showtime, Penny Dreadful. I assumed that because the show features a female lead, it would pass with flying colors. Boy was I wrong! Yes, the main character is a woman, however, she is featured with a man or group of men in almost every scene.  A detail that I had not previously noticed. What’s more, when she is shown speaking to a female psychologist, the stories center around her past love affairs.  By teaching students these rules, we can  increase the visibility of  these inequalities in the media and work towards creating a society that does not think in the norms of the “privileged white male.”

What’s more, author Larry Gross, confirmed my suspicions in his work Out of the Mainstream: Sexual Minorities and the Mass Media,  that this issue doesn’t just affect women in the media. I was saddened, yet not surprised when I read this text. I felt that, due to the nature of the information, this article was embarrassing the protectionist philosophy to media literacy.I felt as though the author was warning his audience against subscribing to any of the notions that he mentioned. That we should protect our students from absorbing this information fed to them from the media.   Gross paints a very accurate portrait of what it means to be “mainstream” in the media and the impact that this has on our thought process. (Gross, Pg. 406-407.) He then moves into a compelling discussion surrounding the repercussions of being an outsider. For homosexuals in particular, this fear of the outsider leads to isolation, because the mass media has played a direct role in ascribing to them how masculinity or femininity should look. Additionally, Gross reminds us that “ for the most part gay people have been simply invisible in the media.” (Gross, Pg. 410.) When they do include homosexual characters in their stories, the media tends to overlook characters who fit within their box of social norms, they just happen to be gay in favor for those who fit the stereotypes that the media has created. I can only hope that as we progress as a society, we can see more extraordinary, positive, gay characters who do not fit within Hollywood’s stereotype emerge on screen.

Children as Consumers really stuck out to me as well. I enjoyed the fact that this article took a factual approach and included several different clips from media sources, much like a magazine or research paper might.  I think there were several lessons in this article that I will take with me as a mother. As a marketer, a majority of this information was not new to me. Children can be some of the best brand advocates. They also have the highest purchase power out of any demographic. Yet, I did not realize to what extent the media was targeting children. Even in most marketing companies, it seems to be a debate whether it is ethical to direct advertisements to children or not. I agree with the Swedish people, who have banned advertising to children since the 90’s (Shah, 2010, Pg. 5.) Common sense seems to dictate that children lack the ability, at a certain age, to be truly critical of what they see on the television. The facts back this logic. It follows then, that children should be shielded from any media that intends on coercing them into believing a non truth or pushing them towards an unhealthy product. Shah prompts the audience with the question, “can the media be trusted to self-regulate.” I would argue that no, they cannot. The benefit  for corporations greatly outweighs the cost.

We are nearing the release of our 2016 Drone Poll Results!!!

By way of prep, I am curious as to what you all think about our potential mapping output formats.  The underlying data represented in these draft graphs isn’t important at this point.  Rather, I am curious as to which you all think is the best representation of geospatial data for the web:

Option 1: Cluster

Option 2: Heatmap

Option 3: Bubble

Let us know what you think (Option 1, 2, or 3).

After reading the different definitions of media literacy; I gained a deeper understanding of what media literacy can be. As technology has evolved, so has the definition of media today. Maureen Baron defined media literacy as the ability to “decode, understand, evaluate, and write through, and with, all forms of media”, as well as, “read, evaluate and create, text, images, and sounds, or any combination of elements”. I thought Baron’s definition was the most accurate, because it included the fact that the definition of media literacy can change. The definition to me was also specific and to the point which made it easier for me to understand.
Baron’s definition helped me connect media literacy to the content in the book, Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture by Karen Sternheimer. Sternheimer(2013), emphasized the fact that media has changed over the years. Every generation has had a different experience with media and technology. Media doesn’t just include radio, television and the newspaper, but also social networking, iPods, the internet, et.(Sternheimer, 2013). I found it interesting that because older generations do not understand the new technology; they may misunderstand the way technology is used and media portrayed. Also, every generation fears for the next generation since the time of Plato.
What I found the most shocking from reading the book was that many people believe media is at fault for the negative behavior of adolescents. However, as Sternheimer(2013) stated, “the root of the most serious challenges American children face, problems like lack of a quality education, violent victimization, early pregnancies, single parenthood, and obesity”. Media cannot be blamed for all of society’s problems. There are underlying issues that people rather avoid such as sexism, racism, and discrimination. The second chapter, explained how childhood has also changed. Teenagers are no longer given many adult roles, but instead the teenage years as seen as an extension of childhood(Sternheimer, 2013). Children also have different responsibilities and expectations now. The example given in the book reminded me of my own parents’ childhood. Both were not expected to finish high school and were able to obtain decent jobs. Nowadays, that is nearly impossible to obtain a stable job without an education. Children are expected to go to college or a university.
My favorite article was University of Michigan Health Systems Your Child: Television and Children. I enjoyed reading this article because it gave a lot of information regarding children’s use of television. As a mother of an infant, I think this information is very valuable. What I could relate to from this article was that television should not replace reading. Although as a working mother, it can be very easy to try and find a quick solution to pacify a child. Television, should not always be the answer to that situation. Parents need to make sure they find time to engage with their child; read a book together or just talk about their child’s day at school.

Initially, when going through all the readings in an attempt to better understand media literacy, I found that Zaslow and Butler’s (2002) three models were easiest for me to understand. They separated media literacy into three models of protectionist or discrimination models, ideological analysis models, and constructivist models. The protectionist or discrimination models, as defined by Zaslow and Butler (2002), is that youth must be protected from powerful media. In order for youth the fend against these media, young people must be taught how to discriminate between high-quality and low-quality media. Secondly, Zaslow and Butler (2002) explained the ideological analysis models as, youth being taught to question the naturalness of media representations and to identify hidden messages in the media. Further, the analysis focuses on how media support and reproduce dominant ideologies about difference and culture. Lastly, Zaslow and Butler (2002) defined the constructivist models, which is to advocate the development of analytical skills while allowing for the experience of enjoying media. Students are not passive receivers of media but active negotiators of the media with which they engage. I believe that all of the models presented by Zaslow and Butler (2002) are necessary for youth to be able to put into use when needed. Personally, I found that I was able to agree with the constructivist models the most because although it requires children to analyze media, it still allows them to enjoy the media.

When further going through the readings and asking the question, why is media literacy so important, I found Jennifer Ladner’s article, “Why media literacy is so important for children today,” to be the most informative. She discusses the concern for not only how much time children spend in front of a screen, but also the concern for the content that they absorb. With media literacy, children and families are allowed to become more aware of media messages, both intended and unintended. She also explains that the messages within media allow children to learn to create and think critically; further, allowing children to take control of the media that is around them, rather than the media controlling them. Due to technology now being mainly wireless, many of us walk around with it at constant availability in the palm of our hands. Because it is so easy to access media, it is crucial to have media literacy on our radar. Ladner suggests reasons why it is important for it to be on our radar. For example, studies suggest a strong relationship between high exposure to violence in the media and aggressive behavior, as well as, a strong correlation between heavy television viewing and obesity, substance use, and increased sexual activity at younger ages. Overall, Ladner thoroughly discussed the importance of media literacy due the negative effects it can have.

Throughout the several readings I learned an extensive amount of information in regards to media literacy. Most importantly, I learned about the effects that media has on children and why is it necessary to implement media literacy. Specifically, as presented above, the the protectionist or discrimination models, ideological analysis models, and constructivist models, by Zaslow and Butler (2002) are all necessary for children to learn to employ when viewing media. Ultimately, due to technology being easily available in the palm of our hands, it is becoming crucial for media literacy to put to use.

What is media literacy?  It is a question that seems to warrant a simple answer however, the concept as I am quickly discovering in this course, goes far beyond basic interpretation skills.   For one to be considered truly media literate, they must have the ability to examine and decipher messages that seek to entertain and inform us on a day to day basis.  According to Elizabeth Thoman, there are 3 stages of media literacy.  They include: awareness of one’s “media diet”, learning  critical viewing skills, and asking, who produces the media we experience?  I believe that last point is essential and something I do not exercise often enough.  If one frequently asks questions about the various media mediums and the messages, I feel it will open the conversation up to others to do the same.

Media literacy is an asset one can acquire and goes hand in hand with media education.  Media education is the “ongoing process of learning” which can “develop and evolve” (Andersen, Neil).  Media education is fostered through “media study”; which occurs when teachers and educational institutions  “organize specific courses..to study the media” (Worsnop, Chris).

I found the opening chapters of our textbook Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture: Why Media is not the Answer to be a compelling introduction to our media culture and it’s relationship with society’s members.  Sternheimer believes that the media culture is not our society’s central issue.  While people like to vilify media influence, the social issues currently plaguing us go far deeper than media intake.  Racism, sexism, homophobia and poverty are just a few of the major problems at hand that did not spawn from media integration.  In fact, “the most pressing crisis American children face today” is not the media, but poverty (Sternheimer, 2).

Our media does not rest, there is no snooze button.  While some can argue that with that comes an abundance of knowledge constantly at our fingertips, others believe that it’s leading to a society suffering from media overload.  People, particularly parents, are increasingly concerned that constant, uncontrolled information at one’s disposal will lead to problems within the lives of children.

The media has a long history of igniting fear in our society.  Comics featuring depictions of violence sparked fear during the McCarthy era.  During Elvis’ rise to stardom, concerns arose when he brought “traditionally African American music to white middle America” (Sternheimer, 6).  Sternheimer does agree that the media culture is not without its faults.  However, she encourages us to explore the root of social problems and realize it does not stop with media.

In the articles, “Why Media Literacy Is So Important for Children Today” and “That It Was Made By People Our Age Is Better”, an appreciation for the effects of media on today’s adolescence is explored.  Studies show that “children with media literacy skills will be better prepared for a successful future” (Ladner, J.)  Zaslow and Butler suggest that media offers adolescence a sense of control in an otherwise frenzied world.  And “many adolescent [children] turn to media” to construct their “own identity” (Zaslow, Butler).

After better acquainting myself with the principles of media literacy, I have an even stronger belief that there can be no price placed on the value of media literacy;  it plays a key role in the social awareness of the generation and generations to follow.  And while there are fears of overexposure to children, albeit sometimes justified, I agree with Karen Sternheimer who says “if childhood has changed, it is because the world has changed”.  Media awareness is a fundamental skill every young person must possess to flourish is this ever advancing world.