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What the f*** should I wear?-Prerna Gaur (2016IPM079)Artefact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FBEfVi_5IYWhat is the most annoying question that every woman starts her day with? The question to which she never has a satisfying answer. –  “What the f*** should I wear?” Indian movies themselves set perfect examples of what is expected out of a woman in the society. One such example is - "Yeh hoti hain asli ladki, chutki mein Bipasha, chutki mein Madhubala." - Mere Brother Ki DulhanYes, because it's just so awfully cool to stereotype women, right? We are constantly judged on the basis of our clothes. And we judge others too. Fashion policing goes way deeper than a concern with merely what’s in vogue. Friendships and opinions are formed on the basis of fashion or the lack of it. Dress up too much and you are a narcissist. Dress up shabby and you are a nerd. Dress according to the image you want to portray. Work hard on the out-of-bed look to show you don’t care! F**k dressing up! Radhika Vaz, the popular comedian is really irritated by the societal pressures of dressing up and decides not to finally give a damn. She stands naked on stage subverting the very basics of fashion policing. The video by Faballey is a powerful utterance that can become a war cry for every woman who is tired of the pressures society puts on her to dress up in a specific way. She funnily talks about how it is really difficult as women who have almost 7 body types, with sometimes having the upper body type as different from the lower body type, are still always expected to follow the societal expectations of how and what to wear. And so, she believes that one can easily guess the amount of public shaming one has to face when she can stand naked before a public like that with her flaws and speak, but still have to think on a regular basis how and what should she wear.   When asked how she feels about it, she says, “The idea was based on my personal experience of rarely being confident when having to dress for any remotely public event. I grapple with insecurities about my body and face, all the damn time, and I know it is exhausting. So, I just keep trying to find ways to put some of it behind me. “ The irony is how she endorses an online clothing retail stores by wearing nothing. The fact that the video goes beyond the taboo of nakedness, speaking impactfully of how easily one can unfollow whatever imposes a pressure in the lives of us, as women is what comes out.   

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What the f*** should I wear?-Prerna Gaur (2016IPM079)Artefact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FBEfVi_5IYWhat is the most annoying question that every woman starts her day with? The question to which she never has a satisfying answer. –  “What the f*** should I wear?” Indian movies themselves set perfect examples of what is expected out of a woman in the society. One such example is - "Yeh hoti hain asli ladki, chutki mein Bipasha, chutki mein Madhubala." - Mere Brother Ki DulhanYes, because it's just so awfully cool to stereotype women, right? We are constantly judged on the basis of our clothes. And we judge others too. Fashion policing goes way deeper than a concern with merely what’s in vogue. Friendships and opinions are formed on the basis of fashion or the lack of it. Dress up too much and you are a narcissist. Dress up shabby and you are a nerd. Dress according to the image you want to portray. Work hard on the out-of-bed look to show you don’t care! F**k dressing up! Radhika Vaz, the popular comedian is really irritated by the societal pressures of dressing up and decides not to finally give a damn. She stands naked on stage subverting the very basics of fashion policing. The video by Faballey is a powerful utterance that can become a war cry for every woman who is tired of the pressures society puts on her to dress up in a specific way. She funnily talks about how it is really difficult as women who have almost 7 body types, with sometimes having the upper body type as different from the lower body type, are still always expected to follow the societal expectations of how and what to wear. And so, she believes that one can easily guess the amount of public shaming one has to face when she can stand naked before a public like that with her flaws and speak, but still have to think on a regular basis how and what should she wear.   When asked how she feels about it, she says, “The idea was based on my personal experience of rarely being confident when having to dress for any remotely public event. I grapple with insecurities about my body and face, all the damn time, and I know it is exhausting. So, I just keep trying to find ways to put some of it behind me. “ The irony is how she endorses an online clothing retail stores by wearing nothing. The fact that the video goes beyond the taboo of nakedness, speaking impactfully of how easily one can unfollow whatever imposes a pressure in the lives of us, as women is what comes out.   

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- Shiv Narayan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFedfnR5seI
With millions and tons gigabytes of data the world today is far more complex than we have ever known it and is growing as we speak. How then is it possible for rational human beings to be able to process the media as it is. How are we able to form what we think is the truth and even if it is, what version of the truth is being considered. The answer to the issue lies in another questionable concept, curation. It boils down our interest from our past content and formulates a data-based opinion on what is relevant for us!(insert definitions and derivations of Curation) So it is almost like, our present actions will determine the relevance for our future activities, which arguably is a very logical way of clearing the massive clutters out of our lives. But what about conflict then? The conflict which arises out of a clash between the belief systems that are present out there in this complex matrix of information.

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What the f*** should I wear?

-Prerna Gaur (2016IPM079)

Artifact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FBEfVi_5IY

What is the most annoying question that every woman starts her day with? The question to which she never has a satisfying answer. –  “What the f*** should I wear?”

Indian movies themselves set perfect examples of what is expected out of a woman in the society. One such example is -

"Yeh hoti hain asli ladki, chutki mein Bipasha, chutki mein Madhubala." - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan

Yes, because it's just so awfully cool to stereotype women, right? We are constantly judged on the basis of our clothes. And we judge others too. Fashion policing goes way deeper than a concern with merely what’s in vogue. Friendships and opinions are formed on the basis of fashion or the lack of it. Dress up too much and you are a narcissist. Dress up shabby and you are a nerd. Dress according to the image you want to portray. Work hard on the out-of-bed look to show you don’t care!

F**k dressing up!

Radhika Vaz, the popular comedian is really irritated by the societal pressures of dressing up and decides not to finally give a damn. She stands naked on stage subverting the very basics of fashion policing.

The video by Faballey is a powerful utterance that can become a war cry for every woman who is tired of the pressures society puts on her to dress up in a specific way.

She funnily talks about how it is really difficult as women who have almost 7 body types, with sometimes having the upper body type as different from the lower body type, are still always expected to follow the societal expectations of how and what to wear.

And so, she believes that one can easily guess the amount of public shaming one has to face when she can stand naked before a public like that with her flaws and speak, but still have to think on a regular basis how and what should she wear.

When asked how she feels about it, she says, “The idea was based on my personal experience of rarely being confident when having to dress for any remotely public event. I grapple with insecurities about my body and face, all the damn time, and I know it is exhausting. So, I just keep trying to find ways to put some of it behind me. “

The irony is how she endorses an online clothing retail stores by wearing nothing. The fact that the video goes beyond the taboo of nakedness, speaking impactfully of how easily one can unfollow whatever imposes a pressure in the lives of us, as women is what comes out.

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What the f*** should I wear?-Prerna Gaur (2016IPM079)Artifact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FBEfVi_5IYWhat is the most annoying question that every woman starts her day with? The question to which she never has a satisfying answer. –  “What the f*** should I wear?” Indian movies themselves set perfect examples of what is expected out of a woman in the society. One such example is - "Yeh hoti hain asli ladki, chutki mein Bipasha, chutki mein Madhubala." - Mere Brother Ki DulhanYes, because it's just so awfully cool to stereotype women, right? We are constantly judged on the basis of our clothes. And we judge others too. Fashion policing goes way deeper than a concern with merely what’s in vogue. Friendships and opinions are formed on the basis of fashion or the lack of it. Dress up too much and you are a narcissist. Dress up shabby and you are a nerd. Dress according to the image you want to portray. Work hard on the out-of-bed look to show you don’t care! F**k dressing up! Radhika Vaz, the popular comedian is really irritated by the societal pressures of dressing up and decides not to finally give a damn. She stands naked on stage subverting the very basics of fashion policing. The video by Faballey is a powerful utterance that can become a war cry for every woman who is tired of the pressures society puts on her to dress up in a specific way. She funnily talks about how it is really difficult as women who have almost 7 body types, with sometimes having the upper body type as different from the lower body type, are still always expected to follow the societal expectations of how and what to wear. And so, she believes that one can easily guess the amount of public shaming one has to face when she can stand naked before a public like that with her flaws and speak, but still have to think on a regular basis how and what should she wear.   When asked how she feels about it, she says, “The idea was based on my personal experience of rarely being confident when having to dress for any remotely public event. I grapple with insecurities about my body and face, all the damn time, and I know it is exhausting. So, I just keep trying to find ways to put some of it behind me. “ The irony is how she endorses an online clothing retail stores by wearing nothing. The fact that the video goes beyond the taboo of nakedness, speaking impactfully of how easily one can unfollow whatever imposes a pressure in the lives of us, as women is what comes out.   

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What the f*** should I wear?-Prerna Gaur (2016IPM079)Artifact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FBEfVi_5IYWhat is the most annoying question that every woman starts her day with? The question to which she never has a satisfying answer. –  “What the f*** should I wear?” Indian movies themselves set perfect examples of what is expected out of a woman in the society. One such example is - "Yeh hoti hain asli ladki, chutki mein Bipasha, chutki mein Madhubala." - Mere Brother Ki DulhanYes, because it's just so awfully cool to stereotype women, right? We are constantly judged on the basis of our clothes. And we judge others too. Fashion policing goes way deeper than a concern with merely what’s in vogue. Friendships and opinions are formed on the basis of fashion or the lack of it. Dress up too much and you are a narcissist. Dress up shabby and you are a nerd. Dress according to the image you want to portray. Work hard on the out-of-bed look to show you don’t care! F**k dressing up! Radhika Vaz, the popular comedian is really irritated by the societal pressures of dressing up and decides not to finally give a damn. She stands naked on stage subverting the very basics of fashion policing. The video by Faballey is a powerful utterance that can become a war cry for every woman who is tired of the pressures society puts on her to dress up in a specific way. She funnily talks about how it is really difficult as women who have almost 7 body types, with sometimes having the upper body type as different from the lower body type, are still always expected to follow the societal expectations of how and what to wear. And so, she believes that one can easily guess the amount of public shaming one has to face when she can stand naked before a public like that with her flaws and speak, but still have to think on a regular basis how and what should she wear.   When asked how she feels about it, she says, “The idea was based on my personal experience of rarely being confident when having to dress for any remotely public event. I grapple with insecurities about my body and face, all the damn time, and I know it is exhausting. So, I just keep trying to find ways to put some of it behind me. “ The irony is how she endorses an online clothing retail stores by wearing nothing. The fact that the video goes beyond the taboo of nakedness, speaking impactfully of how easily one can unfollow whatever imposes a pressure in the lives of us, as women is what comes out.   

# data[].attributes.body
-Prerna Gaur (2016IPM079)

Artifact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FBEfVi_5IY

What is the most annoying question that every woman starts her day with? The question to which she never has a satisfying answer. –  “What the f*** should I wear?”

Indian movies themselves set perfect examples of what is expected out of a woman in the society. One such example is -

"Yeh hoti hain asli ladki, chutki mein Bipasha, chutki mein Madhubala." - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan

Yes, because it's just so awfully cool to stereotype women, right? We are constantly judged on the basis of our clothes. And we judge others too. Fashion policing goes way deeper than a concern with merely what’s in vogue. Friendships and opinions are formed on the basis of fashion or the lack of it. Dress up too much and you are a narcissist. Dress up shabby and you are a nerd. Dress according to the image you want to portray. Work hard on the out-of-bed look to show you don’t care!

F**k dressing up!

Radhika Vaz, the popular comedian is really irritated by the societal pressures of dressing up and decides not to finally give a damn. She stands naked on stage subverting the very basics of fashion policing.

The video by Faballey is a powerful utterance that can become a war cry for every woman who is tired of the pressures society puts on her to dress up in a specific way.

She funnily talks about how it is really difficult as women who have almost 7 body types, with sometimes having the upper body type as different from the lower body type, are still always expected to follow the societal expectations of how and what to wear.

And so, she believes that one can easily guess the amount of public shaming one has to face when she can stand naked before a public like that with her flaws and speak, but still have to think on a regular basis how and what should she wear.

When asked how she feels about it, she says, “The idea was based on my personal experience of rarely being confident when having to dress for any remotely public event. I grapple with insecurities about my body and face, all the damn time, and I know it is exhausting. So, I just keep trying to find ways to put some of it behind me. “

The irony is how she endorses an online clothing retail stores by wearing nothing. The fact that the video goes beyond the taboo of nakedness, speaking impactfully of how easily one can unfollow whatever imposes a pressure in the lives of us, as women is what comes out.

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Changing Ideas of Hegemonic Masculinity through Advertisements--- 

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Changing Ideas of Hegemonic Masculinity through Advertisements--- 

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Written by: Sumit Choudhary (2016IPM108)

Media Artefact:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwBaZfpGaBs  (2016)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-bnphMDKao (2018)
Hegemonic Masculinity is a practice and belief that legitimizes men’s dominant position in the society and moreover justifies the subordination of the other genders and other marginalized ways of being a man. And this notion of masculinity is contested. Not all men occupy the hegemonic positions in the society and not all are looked as the ‘ideal man’ by the members of the society. The idea of the term isn’t a constant and keeps changing with time and context. Hence it would be nearly impossible to objectively define hegemonic masculinity. The idea is to present the fact that the concept not only establishes the senior hierarchy of men over women but also within each other in relations of marginalisation and subordination.  Or in other words Hegemonic Masculinity legitimizes the domination of manly-men over the not so manly-men. This practice is portrayed in a lot of domains and practices including religious practices, politics, mass media, businesses, etc. According to Trujillo (1991) the definition of hegemonic masculinity as defined in US media culture had five major features: power defined in terms of physical force and control; power defined through occupational achievement in an industrialist society; power in terms of familial patriarchy; when it is symbolized by the daring, romantic frontiersman of yesteryear and of the present-day outdoorsman; and power when defined heterosexually and centred on the representation of the phallus.

The first media artefact I have chosen is an advertising campaign by the company ‘SuitSupply’ that took the idea of hegemonic masculinity to another level on the basis of the concept that ‘sex-sells’. The first artefact is an ad campaign released in 2016. The kind of a man depicted in these advertising pictures clearly states that when it comes to be that ideal for masculinity, you dress smart and are sexually attractive to girls. Moreover, trying to establish that if you are that man, girls don’t mind being naked around you and wanting to get in bed. In these advertisements appropriated by the Dutch organization SuitSupply, there are different culturally hegemonic qualities that can be seen. The ads are publicizing for menswear and in each shot a man is surrounded by a lady or numerous ladies. These ads are extremely objectifying towards women, as the only part they play in these are exposing their bodies. Inside these advertisements social authority is prominent, showing acts of hegemonic masculinity, hegemonic beauty, emphasized femininity, and the objectification of women.

When the advertisement is trying to sell its clothing it clearly puts the kind of lifestyle and cultural surroundings that accompany such a dress-up. Each male character is Caucasian, hetero sexual, tough and asserting dominance. Each man asserts his dominance and authority by objectifying women, the quality they believe makes them ‘manlier’. There are no symbols of homosexual relationships.  But soon within two years, a new campaign was released by the same company which clearly displayed an extremely emerging image of a man. The whole advertisement was based on homosexual men who were still the ideal men to fit in the hegemonic masculinity definition. The advertisement ended with the note “Don’t Just fit in, Find your perfect fit”. This clearly gives an image of how masculinity and the way it is defined has changed over time and how these companies incorporate those definitions into their advertising campaigns in order to reach out to a larger audience that now believes in a newer idea of masculinity or the standards of hegemonic masculinity. We see how media changes the way we understand these concepts and how it sets for us the definitions. Seeing a perfect man in the first advertisement and believing that is what masculinity is about to changing our perception of masculinity by seeing the same perfect man in a completely different context, media helps us adjust and broaden our understandings of hegemonic masculinity and a lot of other social concepts that we come across through media displays.

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https://youtu.be/RKl_Y3EA7Sc
Arundhati Babar
2015IPM017

Hasan Minhaj’s new talk-show airing on Netflix, “The Patriot Act”, yet another show that subscribes to political satire and the “woke culture” has an episode on streetwear brand “Supreme”. In this episode, Minhaj explains why streetwear has become a popular urban culture/phenomenon among the milennials. Supreme charges extremely high costs for their merchandise, all for nothing but their logo on otherwise plain objects. Their business model relies heavily on “hype”, when their product is hyped that everyone wants to be able to have one but often can’t because of what is called a “drop”. When Supreme releases some merchandise, they keep it selling over a specific time window, and make only limited quantities of it. This follows the same trend as seen in Veblen goods. However, the origin of hype dates back to how Nike marketed the Jordan’s. Jordan’s are released every year, and very limited quantities are made and sold at exorbitant prices, making them a very precious belonging to anyone who owns them.

The resale value of these goods often exceed 300% of the initial investment. A supreme brick, yes, a brink with Supreme written on it, retailed for 150$ last year. According to Nicholas Reeve's The Power of Film Propaganda: Myth or Reality, this spreads a propaganda, as Hasan Minhaj doesn't only talk about the facts, but also bases it on what he makes of it. Because of this very proliferation, his opinions mix with the data, and all that's presented to the audience might or might not be entirely true. Because what is propaganda, if not a faulty remediation for the viewers? I personally have a soft corner for Hasan Minhaj as he's the first brown comedian who's made it big in the United States. However, this does help when he represents everything he talks about in a bad light.

Minhaj, takes digs at the culture and makes a mockery of “hype”, albeit acknowledging the reality of the situation. He says “Hype is real”.

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Submitted by Ananya Nigam (2016IPM012)
For this critical response I have a taken a Facebook advertisement from my own feed. I am going to analyse it in the light of the reading, Media In Our Image by Johanna Blakley.

Johanna talks about how advertising, worldwide, tries to understand their customers and potential customers according to their demographics. In actuality, purchasing power and choices don't get affected by demographics, that significantly, that companies should be using it to further their understanding of markets. We have seen in plenty of examples that the place, where a person belong to, do matter. Media scholar Henry Jenkins (2006), observes that place and culture still matter but, Johanna argues that online communities are seldom based on demographics. Rather they come together because of “taste”. She calls them “transnational taste communities”, where people from different places, different genders, different education level, etc. come together based on certain taste which could be anything from a fandom to a social issue. And hence, because of social media coming into play, it makes even less sense to use demographic data to learn about your customers.

So, since we are talking about marketing after you track down 'interests’ of your target market, what would be better than Facebook, who is always talked about whenever the discussion is about selling user's data to advertising firms. This artifact is the first ad I saw on my Facebook feed today. I am very much into funky jewellery and loud ethnic clothing, and, on top of that, online shopping. Johanna considers the fact that some might have problems with this "new surveillance culture" but she closes it by saying that we should understand that their are some advantages of 'being watched'. Advantage of "having our taste respected rather than presumed". I will have everything I see on internet tailored according to my preference. But, what if I don't want this luxuxy? Nobody asked me whether I want a personalized feed. Nobody gave me an option between generalised or personalized feed. This might not be a very witty plot twist at the end but I wonder, why should I understand that whatever is happening is for my own good? Doesn't this just facilitates effective marketing for the firms and save their money at the expense of my privacy?

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Submitted by:
Harmin Gandhi
2016IPM041

The Samsung Ad was the most viewed Indian advertisement of September and managed to garner more than 116 million views. This ad functions at multiple levels and can be analyzed through various perspectives. For instance, the concept of reflection theory of media can be observed in a way through the emotional relationship of the mother-daughter where the society aspires to see that kind of relation generally in the society. The other way through which it can be observed is the point where the makers are pushing the consumers to be the producers of media in a way where they can customize their own devices with their media recordings.

However, we can also see this ad from the perspective of media convergence. Here, two different organizations come together to produce a product and an advertisement about that. Samsung, along with ‘Asha Ek Hope Foundation, is advertising a new product where personalized AI Voice assistant can be provided to the patients suffering from Motor Neuron Disease (MND). The NGO is first of its kind and together with Samsung, they have come to produce an entirely new kind of production of media where the voice of the dying patient can still live with them. This works perfectly in favor of both the organizations as Samsung would have developed the product however, with Asha Ek Hope, it found a reason and a greater purpose, and perhaps a specific audience for their product. And, Asha Ek Hope also paved its way in making the life of the patients’ family better in a way (although arguable).

Therefore, here, we can observe convergence of media where two completely different forms of organizations with totally different purposes come together and create something entirely new for their customers.

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Samsung Bixby Voice Assistant-MND mother helps daughter with #VoiceForever

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The Convergence of Convergence: Example of Industry converging in 21st Century

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The Convergence of Convergence: Example of Industry converging in 21st Century

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APRATIP CHAKRABORTY
2016IPM021

MEDIA ARTIFACT:https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/digital-payment-transaction-volumes-rise-to-244-8-crore-in-august-2018-says-government/1377425/

This critical response paper looks into the payment world in the context of India. Right from the 1990s, post the liberalization that took place, India has taken forward steps in increasing transactions across the country, giving a boost to the country's GDP. But the transactions were mostly through cash. For India, the impetus to shift to digital payments methods came in the year 2016, with the rapid penetration of internet through Jio across towns and villages of the country, further given a fillip by Demonetisation. With most of the people (including rural households) having a bank account to their name by this time, the cause was further promulgated.
With the advent of e-wallets like PayTM, PhonePe, Google Tez among others, through which money could be sent instantly using a smartphone, the level of convenience of the people increased to a great extent. Moreover, companies like PayTM not only offered mere e-wallets but also have their own banking system, turning out to be significant disruptors in the business domain and changing the paradigm at which the financial markets operated till yesterday.
These are some of the domains that were completely non-existent till even a couple of decades back but now rule over the masses. The article by Christy Roland mentions how "several industries have converged, adapted, and changed radically in the last two decades, mostly due to the ability of the internet and mobile devices to allow consumers to decide when and how they want to conduct their business." which is perfectly true in this case.
The media artifact stated above reports the robust growth of India's digital payments system, valuing a total of 244.8 crores as of August 2018, according to official reports released by the government of India.
It is also estimated that India's digital transaction valuation would increase to over 190 Trillion by FY23, with mobile payments valuing at around 190 billion. Such is the way things have changed. And with the country set to boom over the next decade, it is imperative to look at how the rapid paradigm shift affected the people and the turn it will take in the years to come. But one thing is sure; we can expect rapid technological improvements in this sector, enabling most of the things that are still a dream to us today.

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By - Anusha Soni
Concept - Manufactured Consent

If we were to discuss few of the most successful ways of using the model of manufactured consent in India, the 2014 “Janta Maaf Nahi Karegi” ad campaign of the Bhartiya Janata Party shall definitely be included in the list. This particular ad campaign run by BJP before the 2014 general elections was based on a common theme of discontentment among the Indian voters, primarily the ones belonging to middle and lower-class. The party further played upon this existing discontentment with a related ad campaign of “Acche Din”. The “Janta Maaf Nahi Karegi” ad campaign used videos that showed men and women from different strata of society complaining about how the then central government failed them in their expectations and how they shall never forgive the government for its inactivity and corruption. The primary intention was not only to communicate or highlight the existing problems in the society under the present government, which is what most other political campaigns do, but the campaign was also extremely strategically designed to manufacture a general consent among the voters that they are in fact disappointed with the way the central government had functioned. When ads only highlight the existing problems, they do not directly leave a strong impact on the viewer because of the very fact that the viewer is already aware of the existing issues. So much so that the viewer has been aware of these issues since such a long time that ad campaigns telling the viewer about the existence of such problems is redundant and hence boring for the viewer. However, in the “Janta Maaf Nahi Karegi” ad campaign by BJP, the viewer was not only made aware of the existing problems but was also made to realise that he or she is or is supposed to be disappointed with the present government and this discontentment should be expressed through their votes. Thus, the campaign very strongly put the voter in the position of the actor thus convincing him/her of the fact that she is in fact disappointed with the government whether he/she realises this or not and he/she has all the right and power to express such disappointment by punishing the government by not voting for the same party in the upcoming general elections.

This was further supplemented by the famous campaign of “Acche din” which reinforced the belief that days spent under the Congress party until 2014 were bad and the way out of this struggle of bad days was to bring BJP to power in the centre.  Hence, both the ads and primarily the “Janta maaf nahi karegi” ad was about telling people how they felt or how they are supposed to feel about the Congress rule at the centre thereby manufacturing a certain emotion of discontentment across a large section of the society.

Some ads that were a part of the larger campaign discussed above:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CVUMP2mRIg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0St3QdqZKoc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx-i1tGasFo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g7PXhys-5k

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Gatha Lashkari
2016IPM039

In Priyanka Chopra's music video entitled 'Exotic' the video plays on the stereotype of glamourizing and objectifying women of colour. The protagonist is declaring to the viewer that she is feeling unnatural, unfamiliar with her usual self. She states, multiple times, that even though she’s a desi Indian girl at heart, she feels exotic in her external composure and her looks. This is a very befitting example of the Americanization, and how it is directly related to exoticization of coloured women. According to the feelings being communicated through the protagonist in the video, dancing on Miami beaches, in a bikini and body suit spells exotic. Here the protagonist attempts to achieve a higher class standing on a dominant and glamourized notion of foreignness. They try to fit themselves in the stereotypical moulds of hyper-sexual and ultra-feminine women aiming to please white men. This is exactly what she does when she says ‘Tumko jo dekha maine, toh maine ye jaan liya hai, Pardesi babu ne, iss desi dil ko maan liya hai.’ Although she feels ‘desi’ at heart, it is her perception that playing in an exotic role can help her attract American men. The woman is disguising her own ethnic and cultural identities and tends to heighten their racialised identities to look exotic.

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Arwanker Pyngrope
2016IPM023

It can be said that the PageRank algorithm has immense control over dictating the visibility and authority of any cognitive object which is native to ‘the society of the spectacle’. In this case, the PageRank algorithm controls attention value of any commodity and the condensation of its value. Having said this it is able to give a significant online presence to an offline object, attatches attention value to it and as a result this so called offline entity or object is now of more value. It is also to note that this collective desire and attention value is also driven by mass media and advertisement which are merely tools within the PageRank algorithm.

When analysing the viral video featuring Priya Varrier, it can be said that the PageRank algorithm is one of the prime causations of the video being viral. It can be said that one of the reasons for the video attaining the attention it has is due to the fact of the nostalgic and emotional ethos of the video that can be easily relatable with the public across different ages relating to their cherished childhood memories. Having said this, the video is in the initial stage, an offline entity. Through data accumulation and condensation in relation to social values or so called ‘ethos’ in this case, the attention value of the video can now be intensified through the PageRank algorithm. Based on the values relating to the masses this ethos is now heavily associated with the video and intensifies its online presence and significance. As a result the video becomes viral and in turn enhances the value of the video in the offline sphere, in this case, the fame associated with the video and Priya Varrier. A distinct example of the attention value controlled by the PageRank algorithm, the video is merely one of many examples of the control of the algorithm on attention value.

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Oru Adaar Love | Manikya Malaraya Poovi Song Video| Vineeth Sreenivasan, Shaan Rahman, Omar Lulu |HD

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Misrepresentation of Lavani as an Item Song in Bollywood

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Misrepresentation of Lavani as an Item Song in Bollywood

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Sreyan Chatterjee
2016IPM106

Rita Brara in her article “The Item Number: Cinesexuality in Bollywood and Social Life” says that “item numbers nevertheless provide women too with opportunities for heteroattractive entertainment and profit as they refashion the meaning of item numbers as valuable rather than abject performances in particular contexts.” While this is indeed true, as common experience involving “Sangeet Ceremonies in marriages” and “New Year Parties” show us (Brara gives example of this in her article as well) there is always the issue of misrepresenting item numbers as traditional art forms and vice-versa.

Filmmaker Rajesh Mapuskar whose film Ferrari Ki Sawaari became had a Lavani “inspired” song sequence Mala Jau De with Vidya Balan says that “The fact is that if Bajiro Mastani did not have a Pinga song, with two leading actresses dancing in it, many youngsters would not have even known of Lavani. It was a very loosely inspired version, but it was at least something.” This is precisely the problem that exists. Bollywood movies are prone to involve Lavani sequences as item songs. Madhuri Dixit’s Main Kolhapur se aayi hoon was among the first dance sequences that involved Lavani (Helen had a dance sequence in one of her movies in the late 1970s as well but the dance form becoming a trend can only be seen from the 1990s). A leading newspaper from Mumbai carried a “curated” list of the top 6 bollywood Lavani numbers which features Katrina Kaif’s “Chikni Chameli” as well and Kareena Kapoor’s “Aata Majhi Satakli”. In fact it says “Katrina Kaif left no stone behind to emerge as the Lavani queen”

https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-top-six-bollywood-lavani-numbers-2007408

The closest Katrina Kaif is to Lavani in the song Chikni Chameli is the song being set in Mumbai which is in Maharashtra which is the state/region from where Lavani originates. Contrary to the image of Lavani that has been propagated in the Bollywood, there is more to Lavani than bawdy lyrics and suggestive dance moves. Lavani was typically a part of a series of performance which involved other folk dances, plays and comedy acts. Lavanis often involved issues like dowry, female infanticide and sexual violence. Nirguni Lavani focused on bringing philosophical ideas to the forefront. The Lavani that is seen on mainstream movies takes few elements from Shringari Lavani and tries to create a spectacle out of it. Though high energy and the idea of a spectacle or putting on a show are key elements of a Lavani performance, they are not the only elements. Lavani brought the lives and issues of the masses on the front while involving a humorous element to it. The culture of Lavani fell along with the fall of the Peshwas which resulted in it being shunned by elites. In 1948, the Chief Minister of Bombay State, Balasaheb Khare banned Shringari Lavani as it involved provocative language and themes. This subsequently became the theme under which Lavani was represented in Marathi movies.

The presence of Nat, a eunuch or a man with feminine traits, is an integral part of any Lavani performance. The Nat is the person who recites the Lavani and performs with the lead dancers. Across multiple “representations” of Lavani across Bollywood films, nowhere can Nats be seen.  Bollywood, on the face of it, seems to have adapted only the sensational aspects of the dance form, selectively presented to the audience and left the parts which carried the important messages and themes. Movies like Natarang though have tried to change the narrative by presenting a different side of Lavani. However, as long as we have item songs which claim to be Lavani performance or inspired by it, Lavani will always have a negative perception attached to it.

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NATRANG Trailer | Marathi Movie | Ravi Jadhav| Ajay-Atul| Atul Kulkarni, Sonalee

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Arundhati Babar
2015IPM017

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In India, there are numerous legends encompassing menstruation, including one that 'a menstruating lady should shun contacting a pickle container as the pickle could get spoilt'.

The rationale behind this legend being the conviction that a lady on her periods is unclean and anything she contacts ends up grimy, unholy, tainted or unpalatable. Menstrual legends like a menstruating lady ‘shouldn't enter temples or spots of worship, shouldn't enter the kitchen, should remain inside her room’ are still accepted and drilled in some Indian homes. While instruction has exposed these fantasies after some time, the message still expected to reach and impact an extensive populace that keeps ladies grounded dependent on these myths.

As India's leading sanitary napkin brands, P&G’s Whisper came up with a powerful 30-second commercial.

Developed by P&G India and BBDO India, the groundbreaking film by the Mumbai office of BBDO India encourages women to defy tradition and taboos by touching the pickle jar.

An active teenage girl courageously touches a pickle jar and proclaims "I touched the pickle jar" as other women applaud. A voice-over urges: "Girls, let's make the taboos go away and touch the pickle jar."

Not only did 2.9 million women pledge to "touch the pickle jar," but the work resulted in sparking a huge conversation in India around the issue.

Whisper's share of voice grew from 21% to 91% in its category. It created a conversation in India that ranged from a TedX Bangalore talk to the endorsement of a leading Bollywood actress.

The campaign won the Glass Lion Grand Prix at Cannes International Festival of Creativity, which recognises work that implicitly or explicitly addresses issues of gender inequality or prejudice, through the conscious representation of gender in advertising.

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Black Mirror: Be Right Back
By: Aarjav Sethi
The artifact is the first episode of the second season of the TV Series Black Mirror. The story is set up in a dystopic reality which challenges the concept of death being the ultimate end. The story revolves around Martha, whose boyfriend Ash dies in an accident. The constant heartache and sense of lose drive Martha to get an artificial help, in the form of Ash itself. It starts as a daily conversation with a computer program which has been created using all the memories of Ash in existence to offer “perfect replacement”. The crave for support increases though, which leads to the second step; the creation of android combined with the artificial intelligence capable of mimicking the deceased perfectly. Then starts the human struggle of acceptance of technology, the flaws that lie in it, yet the inescapable helplessness in giving it up.

This artifact takes the aspects of archiving to a completely futuristic circumstance and turns the idea of legitimization on its head. The most petrifying element of the episode is how close its degree of closeness with reality. The episode takes the concept of datafication of the futuristic level and depicts the stark reality we might have to face based on how the technology has progressed. The very idea of death not being the end puts the views at unease. The depiction of Martha resonates with our addiction to technology. The ending is befitting to the episode; with the artificial Ash in the attic. Martha could not bear his presence but did not have it in her to get rid of him. That’s the road we are progressing towards, the age in which we remain under the firm grips of technology.

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Ansh Mishra
Artifact: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/business/media/new-york-times-earnings-subscribers.html
The traditional media houses, pejoratively dubbed the “mainstream media” or “msm” by some has been a mainstay of the intellectual diet of most of the world since decades. The decline of newspaper readership and TV viewership as a result of digitisation taking over the western world has been an existential threat to many large print media houses. Falling print revenues, coupled with increasing digitisation meant that they couldn’t stay away from the web for long. Soon, Internet news had to become their main source of revenue and views, making these “old” companies change their business model by converging the paper-based models into online-based news exclusively.

Papers like NYT have reported more than 80% of their subscribers being digital-only users, and growing. Hence, we can see media convergence being used as a means to maximise the revenues of a paper, so as to stay relevant and not go bankrupt, as the Washington Post almost did, before being bought out by Jeff Bezos and being converted into a soft-paywall (i.e., allows you to read a few articles before asking you to pay) news site

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Ananya Agarwal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD_NeCRV9MQ&pbjreload=10
https://youtu.be/2v-FiYigxxk
What is a 'Real Men'? Do we really need to objectify women to sell a product? These are some questions which usually come to the mind of a person while watching various commercials these days.

Two years ago, Vir Das with the HE Respect, HE's deodorant made hilarious jibes at the way ads show sexism in media and specifically in advertisements. The process of objectifying women and appealingly portraying them is usually done to increase the sales of a particular product. In another ad by HE, Hrithik Roshan is questioning the long-held notion of masculine characteristics which typically define a 'Real Men.'

Deodorant brands, in general, promote the concept of chic magnet attraction. The new ‘Respect’ campaign has been designed around the central thought – Real men Respect Women.

HE, Emami’s deodorant brand for men, has coupled up with ace comedian Vir Das for the promotions of its deodorant variant ‘HE Respect.’ The ad film features Das taking jibes at popular sexist ads like Katrina’s Slice ads where she is seen making love to mango, the Axe effect ads, the nude woman in a bathtub ad, the booty shaking body-hugging leather suited woman marketing motorcycles, or the swimsuit-clad girl selling ice-cream on a beach.

In the ad campaign featuring Hrithik Roshan, he is questioning what defines an 'asli man'? The ad goes against the notions held of a hegemonic male character who has got physical strength or who has a big lavish sportscar.

The ads highlight how different brands degrade the status of women for the promotion of their products. Women have been materialized in media to the point of ridiculousness. Majority leading actresses the world over are also victims of this sexist trait. On the other hand, Emami Ltd owned deodorant brand ‘HE’ does the opposite and respects them.

Hegemonic masculinity is a continuously emerging concept existing in different media artifacts from different periods which defend all men to be in a position of domination over women. Hegemonic masculinity, as defined by Raewyn Connell, is a combination of traits that a man must maintain to qualify as a “real man.” These traits set up by the society set how a man must “act” in a specific manner.

HE Respect, which was launched as a new variant deodorant range of HE deodorants, was ideated and designed by Emami and Orchard Advertising as an endeavor to a create a new variant in the deodorant category. The main thought of the campaign was that ‘Real’ men respect women.

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Popular Culture is also defined as “mass culture”: Mass-produced for mass-consumption

James Cameron’s Avatar did exceptionally brilliant at the box office. It broke all records. It is also a fine example of popular culture being mass culture and therefore commercial culture which is created by mass consumption.

Such culture is :

1. Very formulative in nature and politically manipulative

2. Is extremely commercialized

3. Audiences are no more active consumers rather passive in nature

4. It is generally thrusted upon by big corporations

5. Heavily americanized

Avatar clearly is an extremely formulative movie, it is politically manipulative and upon the release of the movie received multiple hues and cries from the conservatives. Avatar not just has an obvious political tone but it also is heavily based on american activities. Having a strong depiction of corporations wanting to capture Pandora, for all its natural resources without having any care for the na’vi civilization. The movie also has scenes depicting an underlying blackwater allusion. Its portrayal of the inhabitants being weak and helpless if they are in harmony with nature,calling the inhabitants “blue monkeys” and Jake Sully running away from humans to save the civilization, seems a lot like the white man’s burden to me. Big guns, ships, machinery, always waging war on places for resources they lack - highly americanized. Yet, the movie did exceptionally well in the box office. The viewers simply were fascinated by the kind of animation and vfx effects that were present in the movie. Being amongst the very first ones to implement such style in filmography, the viewers looked at the same old theme of a person betraying their own kind for apparently a nobler cause just because he fell in love with the enemy, and not just anybody from enemy lines but with the daughter of the main chief. The movie largely lacks content and the audience being passive in nature consumes. Avatar turned the sci-fi industry to a very commercialized one, with the help of UA, the tech industry has further become monetary in nature. At the end of the day, the movie has splashes of meta politics sprayed all over, highly americanised, liberal biases and like every other big budget hollywood movie highly commercialized making it the epitome of pop culture being mass culture, created for mass consumption.

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Ahead-of-its-time Movies (in particular: Mera Naam Joker)

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Ahead-of-its-time Movies (in particular: Mera Naam Joker)

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By: Sarvesh Pachgade

Cinema (in any form) and other popular works of art is said to be the mirror of society. Given that, it can be safely assumed that every script has an age and outruns its time since the society is highly dynamic. The ever-changing nature of the society demands new storylines, new norms that can be absorbed in the society better. An example would be the movies that come under the category ahead-of-its-time. For example Dil Se, Mera Naam Joker, Filhaal, etc. These movies did not do huge business when they were released. According to Indian Cinema experts, however, these storylines are a perfect fit for a high grossing movie today.

The issues these movies brought up, like surrogacy, a joker spreading happiness while being heartbroken was not well captured by the audience of the time. This also questions the popular belief of Bhagwat Geeta being perpetually acceptable.

How can a story be relatable and become a source of knowledge that has no expiry date? Will Bhagwat Geeta ever outrun its time?

On deeper examination, we can see that the story of Mahabharata has already outrun its time. It is the fundamental concepts of Dharma, absolute commitment, focus on Karma and not its fruits, metaphysical knowledge being the highest form of knowledge, that remains and have been applicable from time immemorable.

In the case of movie Mera Naam Joker, the story revolves around a boy Raju who lost his father in a circus act, his mother while he was performing the same act and two other women he called the love of his life. The reasons for the movie not doing very good at the box office were:

Its length: The first version of the movie was more than 5 hours long. The makers wrongly assumed that the audience was equally patient and engrossed in their work as were they (the movie was under production for six years).

There was no constant heroine. Though the society that time was beaming with hegemonic masculinity and it was the hero who attracted the audience to the theatres, the typical storyline of an all beautiful woman being pursued and finally accomplished steered the popular imagination.

The audience was used to a happy ending and a story where the hero of the movie is all powerful, at the pinnacle of success and even if the earlier two are absent, he is finally able to make everything in the climax. In short, the hero never won.

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-Siddharth Garg

In the article 'What is pop culture?' Pop culture was defined as the culture of the masses or commercial culture.  It is formulaic manipulative and can be imposed by some people who carry influence in the society. Over the years, a lot of people have attributed Indian pop culture to Bollywood. They talk about how it influences the masses and the role it has played in creating the value that the current Indian society is associated with. However, I believe it's not a simple causal relationship, and society has an equal if not a greater impact on what our film industry produces.
Bollywood and pop culture have had a to and fro relation for the past two decades. The main theme of Bollywood has changed as our society has transformed going from family drama centred movies in the 1990s to a shift towards social justice where the protagonist who works towards creating a better society in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Rising feminism and gender equality among masses have seen its way into the film industry as well with the rise of movies centred around a female lead like Kahaani.
Movies which are centred around social issues have gained a lot of attention whether it was '3 idiots' which questioned our education system or movies like Dangal which emphasise on promoting a girl to thrive in our society. One of the A major reason for this is that people have moved from looking at the gaps in their families to understanding the fractures in our society.
Another possible way to look at this change in Bollywood can be through the idea of high culture. It is an industry of the elite. Comparatively well-off people are the contributor to most of Bollywood's mainstream content. It provides them with a medium to pass of their high culture to masses using actors who have a huge influence on people. 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' is the perfect example of this. Before the movie came, not a lot of people could never imagine travelling to a European country with their friends. However, the movie was a great success because people were able to associate with the idea because they've seen the actors before and can associate with the actors if the not the role that they play. The movie left an impact on the travelling culture in India which saw a surge in people going for vacations.

Links-
1)https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/culture-bollywood-creates-1502518017.html
2)http://travel.cnn.com/mumbai/life/indian-movie-boosts-spanish-tourism-694426/

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by: Nayanika Chakraborty

“Angdaaiyaan leti hu main jab zor-zor se

Ooh aah ki aaawaz hai aati har oar se…

Mere photo ko, mere photo ko seene se yaar

Chipka le saiyyan Fevicol se”

Kareena Kapoor dancing vivaciously with Salman Khan and other men around her- Fevicol Se is an example of a Bollywood item number. ‘Hot racy songs’ blended with ‘dramatic lights’ and discrete scenes or moves by the dancer characterize an item number.

Item numbers, as Rita Brara points out, represents Cinesexuality in Bollywood and social life. Cinesexuality is a philosophy where we succumb to images created on films as individuals cum social beings. What exactly is wrong with item numbers? Actresses like Bipasha Basu and Malaika Arora claim that they love doing item numbers. Yes, item numbers might be revealing characterized by racy songs and vivacious dance moves, creating an aura of erotic feeling, but if the item girls or boys enjoy it and most importantly, give consent, item numbers should not be labeled as methods of objectification. Shabana Azmi begs to differ. She says, “If a top actress sings 'I am a tandoori murghi, eat me with alcohol...' it's not a laughing matter, it's serious. She sends out an invitation.”  Talking about sensuality she says, “I believe that there is no harm in celebrating female sensuality. It is great, and should happen. But is it truly a celebration? You are surrendering to the male gaze. You are commodifying and objectifying yourself... The camera strips you of your autonomy. You have no control over it."

The ongoing debate is the comparison drawn between strip tease and item dance as both of them cater to the desires of the audience for spectacular and cine-sexualised dancing. Though, one of them is filtered through the eyes of the censorship authority and the other is considered to be illegal. When parts of the script such as ‘Foul words’ are removed from the movie by labeling them as inappropriate for the audience, why are these item numbers left out just by labeling them PG13? The movements such as #Metoo in India witnessed various female actors coming out and expressing their concerns while shooting such item numbers. Hence, this part of the film not only affects the audience, but disturbs the production dynamics of the film as well. The viewers should understand that promoting such content will not only inculcate wrong practices in the minds of many but also hinder the progress of other positive movements. Moreover, some actresses who think item numbers are an easy way to enter Bollywood, go through various surgeries, forceful diet plans, etc to attain a salable product or a desirable body, the process of which is termed as ‘Cinematic Norming’. This not only affects them physically but also bring other mental problems as well. Bollywood and the society at large cannot be seen separately as both of them tend to adopt the values of the other. This trend should be stopped by both the creators and the viewers of such content. The process should start from the script writers who must oppose the addition of such irrelevant content to their plot along with the producers who must keep the society above their profits. Most importantly, the audience should be made aware of the negative impact of such inclusions, so that they can make informed choices.

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Fevicol Se Full Video Song Dabangg 2 (Official) ★ Kareena Kapoor ★ Salman Khan

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"India can't deal with reality, and Bollywood is to blame"

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"India can't deal with reality, and Bollywood is to blame"

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-Bhagya Shree Jayas
2016IPM028

Artefact: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/28/anurag-kashyap-gangs-of-wasseypur

Anurag Kashyap seems a bit defensive when he says “Every fucker is trying to become the hero of his own imaginary film. I swear as long as there are fucking movies in this country, people will continue to be fooled”. Is he wrong though? There is enough evidence to support this claim, and play devil’s advocate too. What’s interesting about this entire article, though, is how Kashyap seems to support a certain status quo and debunk commercialization of the film industry, without even realizing that the statements he makes and the methods he uses scream need to make returns. Vinod Mahanta talks about how the film industry has turned into exactly that- an industry. Huge capital inflows, big budgets, portfolio management, careful and precise marketing that brings in lacs before the movie is released, and the final product itself- the movie.

Anurag Kashyap stresses this commercialization and loss of actual content. Movies aren't made in India anymore, as they want clean spaces to film. So calling Gangs of Wasseypur a breath of fresh air would be inappropriate, but it he subtly hints at it all the same. As you delve deeper into the article, you get swayed by the way he stresses upon the need for substance, and getting away with the superficial dance numbers and muscled heroes. This isn’t the real India, and all of those are just manufactured methods of making money. You’d be swayed by how he stresses upon the lack of imagination and how well read he seems to be. Coppola is his favorite, and he doesn't mind making dark, depressing movies as he hates that the burden of making people happy has fallen upon people who produce movies. In the midst of all this debunking, it’s quite hard to take a step back and realize the very basic issue with the artifact: It is a promotional article, and the Guardian put it up to ensure the film gets more visibility. Yet again, it’s a tiny cog in the huge machine of the big industry, a veritable wolf in sheep’s clothing. The irony resonates through the article if one was to read it in this viewpoint, maybe even helping Mahanta’s emphasis on the fact that not many Bollywood movies can break the set mold.

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Submitted by:
Navya Singhal

2016IPM065

There was once a stout man with the signature goatee and his calm demeanor. He dared to disagree with his country’s government and told the world the truth about its brutality toward those who would speak out against it. And he was murdered for it. It was Jamal Khashoggi.

This year, TIME's Person of the Year for 2018, is actually a group of journalists whose work landed them in jail — or cost them their lives. T

The magazine revealed its choice of "The Guardians and the War on Truth" on Tuesday on TODAY, along with the four magazine covers featuring Khashoggi, Ressa, the Gazette staff and the wives of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.

Jamal Khashoggi was a columnist for Washington Post was always at the center of controversies for being vocal about atrocities of the Saudi crown prince. Maria Ressa,  editor of a Philippine news website, is known for her coverage of violent policies of the president. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo,

Reuters journalists, were arrested while investigating a massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

TIME magazine selected the group "for taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts that are central to civil discourse, for speaking up and speaking out."

The motive behind bestowing the coveted title of 'Person of the Year' to a group of people was to honor their sacrifice for free media. Manipulation and abuse of truth was the common thread of a lot of stories this year from Riyadh to Russia to Silicon Valley.

The move did attract scathing criticism from many. People viewed it as an unimpressive move to reassert media’s self-importance. There is no doubt about the mistreatment of the journalists while performing their professional duties, there are some who feel as if this announcement amounts to the media patting itself on the back.

TIME is considered to be a left-wing magazine due to its anti-Trump headlines and its known propensity to make up stories for scoring political points against the president. The picture of a crying illegal immigrant girl was plastered on its cover earlier this year and was claimed that the girl had been separated from her mother by President Donald Trump’s administration (who is consequentially named the second most influential person in the world).

These “Guardians,” as the magazine has chosen to refer to the journalists, were among many of the finalists, including President Vladimir Putin,  Robert Mueller, President Donald Trump and the accuser of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Christine Blasey Ford.

Modern misinformation doesn't work like traditional propaganda. It hides the truth in plain sight and makes it hard to discern from the falsity all around it. In the world of strong leaders who hate free press, the role of journalists behind the story assumes greater importance. TIME might have taken the step in the right direction, despite the criticism, to shift the control of media to the people.

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- Shivangi Soni

Douglas Kellner claimed that the advertisements we see don't just sell us the product, they often sell us an idea they make us associate with a product. When considering this, I was taken back to an advertisement of a very long time ago, the 2013 Raksha Bandhan commercial that Idea had released.

The advert shows a young girl asking a busy police officer for assistance with directions. He replies with the answer, following it up with the salutation of ‘Behen ji’, which means sister. Touched, the girl inquires whether the officer had gotten his rakhi tied by his sisters, to which he responded that he had to work from the morning and did not get the opportunity. She immediately ties him a rakhi, and he is very moved when he assures her that as a gift and a mark of the ‘raksha’ he is expected to do, the girl must call him should anything go wrong.

The ad ends with the thought that idea builds networks between people.

This ad pulled of various noteworthy representations. The girl was dressed in a typical middle class way, choosing an actress that gave a pure, sweet and trustworthy vibe. The policeman chosen was swarthy, typically from Haryana and carried a rude, commanding demeanor. This made the girl obviously likable and the police officer very typically the sort public disagrees with. So when the story line of the ad played out, the viewer learnt to appreciate the police officer, and feel the intended emotion strongly.

That, however, is not the most interesting point. The whole advertisement mentions nothing about Idea’s network strength, ease of connection or any other feature one would look for in a Cellular Service Provider. It simply capitalizes of the pathos of a deep sibling connection between two unlikely people and associates Idea with it. The advertisement worked quite well for Idea, giving one piece of evidence to Kellner’s point of view.

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Idea Cellular new AD - Happy Rakshabandhan....#RakshaBandhan #ThankyouBhaiya #HappyRakhi

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- Sumit Suresh

Media Artifact: https://youtu.be/KH8TpOLROOQ
A couple of weeks ago I presented in class about item numbers, and during my research for the presentation I watched the video of a couple of ‘item numbers’. While this may seem to many as a fun project, I realized why I have never watched an entire item number video before. The track from the  Karan Johar film Agneepath, had absolutely no connection to the plot and this is true for most item numbers, these singles have nothing to do with the movie and often are inserted to boost promotions further. Today, the video song has over 80M on youtube and continues to be played at several gatherings. The item number is not the first for the Bollywood star, whose other popular number was called ‘Sheila ki Jawaani’ from Tees mar Khan. An item number is very much a commodity, according to Matteo Pasquinelli the value of the commodity is a sum of the condensed attention, the collective desire driven by mass media and the advertisements. The item number, similarly is a commodity, that is sold in order to lure audiences towards the actual product, the movie.

The actress in the music video is seen dressed in a traditional Mahrashtrian fisherwoman’s outfit with a peg of alcohol strapped to her waist, dancing sexually to the fast rhythm of the number sung by Shreya Ghoshal. Apart from the mesmerized men dancing around Katrina, the entire set is disconnected and disturbing in several ways. What worries me more is the reaction of the masses towards the song, the song was extremely well received. The title of the song like other item songs has a rather vulgarized meaning with ‘Chikni’ being an adjective for the feminine gender in hindustani language (Hindi + Urdu) meaning greasy or slippery. ‘Chameli' means the same as Yasmin in Arabic, a white jasmine flower known for its strong fragrance. The title of the song basically is a vulgarized slag which means attractive, desirable, sexy and in several ways appealing - an object of sexual consumption. In fact, we can see from Rita Brara’s reading that the phrase “item number” itself is derived from the Hindi slag “item” that is used for local delicacies.

The visual design too raises serval questions in such songs as a large proportion of these kind of songs have white skinned skimpily clad woman offset against a group of dark sinned bunch of young men. The dim but detailed lighting from the lanterns and the green bush-shirts and whitish clothes of the men, attempt to paint a rather foxy, sexy atmosphere that translated into the implied physical vulneberalfity. While there were several questions over Miley Cyrus’ single Wrecking Ball, and the image of her swinging on the huge metal ball, not many people questioned the depiction of Katrina singing from a chandelier and the men dancing and swaying below almost as if to suggest that she was a dangling piece of meat. This again reinforces the concept of the item and them being objects of consumption for men.

In all, the song is a blunt ‘objectification of woman’ in possible means. These songs have become performances for the “sexually deprived” male audiences of the patriarchal society of India. I thus argue that it is important for us to question and think critically about the cultural texts and narratives in todays media, while the west has started questioning such performances it is time for the Indian masses to wake up.

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We create our own demons…. or ourselves.

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We create our own demons…. or ourselves.

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KARTIK KOHLI
2016IPM048

In a world where we’re constantly under surveillance by our friends, family, bosses, neighbors, prospective recruiters, what we are doing is nothing but fabricating our own existence. Think about it. Every day, we open our Instagram app, go through a few hundred swipes down the long feed and just experience other people’s lives. Or do we? We’re just seeing what they want us to see. We’re just seeing what they have seen other people do. It’s surprising how there’s a pattern to everything we post on the internet. There is no uniqueness, just a replication. It might be a picturesque valley, a burst shot of joyful jump with the sea in the background, or a little kid peering through the steel wired fence. This is to say everything we’re putting up is just “inspired” from what we’ve seen earlier. This is where the part about building our own social identities come in. There is a constant effort involved in ensuring that whatever we post depicts our “true” self. We’ve undertaken to build our identities, based on the identities we think fit our own sphere of thinking. It’s a two-way road where we’re being controlled by the social media and where we’re controlling it also. And who is to say what is real?

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/life/

Just start with searching for #life on Instagram, you’ll find over 263,838,000 posts. Do this for any hashtag you find good enough, what you’ll end up seeing is repetition — certain kind of pictures that will be repeated as you scroll down the feed. Either a guy flexing his muscles in the gym (because you know, the gym is life) or a young woman standing with a tilted head in front of the famous place (because again, traveling is life). This is not to say, that there is absolute repetition, but we’re just “inspired” by what other people are posting. Obviously, we can always conclude with “Monkey see, Monkey does!” but there is this larger question about whether what we see people on their online profiles are their real identities? If so, then can we hope for a real connection with people on social media, or is it even suitable for performing background checks on people?

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

How can we forget a place where we specifically manufacture ourselves for professional display? Yes, LinkedIn is one place where we begin by trying to give shape to our professional lives. We start with our basic profile information and life achievements, like the labels on a food packet in a grocery store. We’re just writing those labels for our colleagues to awe, our employees to admire, and our future bosses to be looking for. A regular LinkedIn feed is full of people talking about their interests, the news in their fields, their recent achievements (usually a candid picture of them being involved in some glorious activity – planting a tree, giving a speech, receiving an award). It can be argued that this is what the basic and main purpose of a professional social media website like LinkedIn is. But the argument in this context is not about what is the purpose of the medium is, but about how most of the online content conforms to various patterns or what has already been done. One just has to carefully notice to understand this peculiar concept of us shaping and being shaped by our very own communication mediums.

There is also the possibility that our social identities are a mix of the real us and what we wish to show. Then, there is a greater need for media students to actually understand and look for patterns that can separate the “be” from the “wanna be.” We just have to start observing the patterns and separate out the outliers from the “mess of conformity.” The uniqueness needs to found and appreciated. Otherwise, everyone will just become a face in the crowd.

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The Search for Bias in Google's Congressional Hearing

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The Search for Bias in Google's Congressional Hearing

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Sanchit Mehra
2016IPM090

When I first saw the video linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nSHiHO6QJI , I couldn’t help but think back to the all too similar congressional hearing of Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.

This video, a short highlight of the congressional hearing of Google CEO, Sunder Pichai, also tackles similar concerns of privacy and security of data on the internet, as were in question while Mr. Zuckerberg was on the seat.

The main issue of contention in this hearing, however, was anti – conservative bias. There are several instances throughout the hearing, where the topic is brought into question, interspersed with the congressmen and women’s ubiquitous concern about being ‘tracked’. It also brings to question the issue of censorship for the search engine in China.

A sad reality of the matter that is evident on watching a few minutes of the hearing, is the maladroitness and the unfamiliarity that is displayed by almost all the congress men and women present there, when it comes to technology such as Google search. It is not much to expect a panel on matters of technological concern to have the basic know – how on the same.

The topic of anti – conservative bias reminds me of the views presented by David Beer in The Social Power of Algorithms. The panel was concerned that Google was advertently using results derived from liberal sources, while actively suppressing the search results from conservative sources. Mr. Pichai’s rebuttals to this claim were based on the fact that the search results, in fact, were based on Google’s proprietary algorithm, which showed search results on what people were actually searching for. Congressman Ted Lieu of California was perhaps one of the few people at Capitol Hill who understood that seeing negative search results for a keyword meant that the society perceived the entity concerned as negative! This is a prime example of algorithms being a window into the ‘Black Box Society’ described by Pasquale. Here, an algorithm has allowed Google to aggregate social choice into a curation of search results in a particular order. A direct corollary to this is the subsequent ‘hypernudge’ that results from users being exposed to this aggregation of social choice; people who now create searches will first get access to the results that converge with the social choice, and this is the view that a significant portion of the new readers will also adhere to now.  This convergence can be understood as a bottom – up consumer driven process, which, in fact, is an accelerant for democratic media. It would not be wrong to say, therefore, that the results generated by search engines play an active role in the perception of sensitive and controversial topics by the society.

Keeping this in mind, it is only fair to expect that makers of search engine algorithms, such as Google, strive to maintain levels of transparency and automation in their algorithms, such that they are reflective of what is really the choice of the society, and not the result of any bias in any particular social or political direction.

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Priyanshi Sharma
2016IPM080
The past decade has seen a drastic change in Bollywood. The genres are changing rapidly. Realistic movies, as many like to call them, are apparently more prominent in the industry nowadays.
This word realistic however,seems doubtful to me because I am still to witness a song playing in the background in real life, as they do in the realistic movies.The songs,apparently, make the emotion spectrum of the movies more defined. While I concede to this, they take the element of realism away.
Realistic movies is thus a relative term, denoted to those movies which are more realistic than the previously known Masala movies. These movies go beyond the formulaic, escapist and derivative structures yet manage to combine what looks like “real” life, with a stronger emotional through line than you would feel in “real” life.
They also do not show beautiful mansions, elaborate costumes and cultured families, which ,while may be the reality for some, is not relatable to many, because many of us can get a chopped to land in front of our mansion, which has our mother waiting for us. Definitely not realistic.
Realistic ,as Dwyer defines it,is a western derived aesthetic which migrated to India and it represents a very different kind of cinema from that of Bollywood. Yet, we have had realistic directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Satyajeet Ray for quite some time now.
Movies like- Neerja, Airlift might be less carefully accurate, since they werea combination and simplification of a series of complicated events. But the main series of events was accurate, and again, the make-up, clothes, and acting were perfect to evoke the actual events that occurred.
And yet, we have to have both realistic and unrealistic generation because we have 2 types of audience- 1. That wants to be able to relate to movies.
2. That believes that if they wanted to seerealistic, they would see the real life.
Bottom line is - we would have movies live to have movies like kabhi khushi kabhi than and Badhai ho at the same time and this diversity defines Bollywood.
https://youtu.be/U_yajnUH7Jc

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The Normal Curve of the Entertainment Industry 

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The Normal Curve of the Entertainment Industry 

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By Pratyush Dubey 2016IPM078

We all have heard stories of legends such as Shahrukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, etc who worked day and night to get even a single role in the then famous TV series. Not much later, these legends were offered significant roles in various Bollywood movies which in some sense was a symbiotic relationship as people started knowing the movies not by their title, but because of an actor who earlier worked in TV serials popularly known as the 'Chota Parda'. Since then, the television industry has become the first stepping stone for the one's who aspired to achieve a stardom in the Bollywood industry. As the number of shifts increased, people started perceiving the film industry as the ultimate form of success in terms of popularity, income and respect. One can find numerous articles which curate a list of celebrities who left their TV stardom to achieve heights in the other industry. But, what if I tell you, that the trend is going exactly the opposite now!
Recently, while switching channels on a lazy Sunday, I stopped to something which was astonishing for me. 'SAB TV', one of the most viewed channels in the current viewership scenario, which has aired immensely successful shows such as 'Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma', was airing a comedy serial by the name 'Partners: Trouble Ho Gayi Double'. Keeping the name aside, what was even more striking to me was its cast. Johnny Lever, a legend who is known for his exceptional comic skills, was playing the role of one of the Police officers. The story doesn't end here! Shreyas Talpade, Vrajesh Hirjee, Tanaaz Irani,etc are few other names who were earlier perceived to be the 'Bollywood Celebs', are now devoting their heart and soul to such TV shows. To be honest, a lot of people, including me considered these light hearted-low budget shows as a way for the 'struggling actors' to earn their bread. After looking at a cast like this, surely that isn't the real reason.

Figures from the previous year suggest that some TV actors are paid more than the Bollywood celebrities. The list, which is used as the artifact for this article, contains 10 such TV stars. An interesting point to notice is the ratio of 'Saas-Bahu' serials to Comedy artists in the list. We have 3 comedians in the list and 7 daily soap actors, which in a way shows what the current trend of viewership is. If we think further, there are various other factors which might contribute to the increasing popularity of these shows amongst the actors. These shows usually run for a very long time (We all know 'Kyunki Saas bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi') which provides security in terms of employment and regular income to these actors. Moreover, the availability of TVs and the supporting cable connections have increased, providing these channels new localities to serve which increases their business which is not the case with Movies as they require multiplexes or screens to be displayed. As argued by Kirk Johnson, Television affects the cultural values, social change, consumerism, it can be seen coming into play as these advertising platforms are now reaching villages as well. It is easy for the viewers to associate with the characters used in such shows which increases their attachment and watch time for the same. The sequels to such shows are easy to script along with lower budget production, which allows a greater profit margin for the producers. This phenomenon of an increase in the shift from TV to Bollywood followed by the reverse shifting with respect to time, is what I like to call ‘The Normal Curve of the Entertainment Industry’.

Links- 1)https://criticsunion.com/2017/03/31/10-tv-stars-earn-bollywood-actors/10/
2) https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1EJFA_enIN707IN707&ei=qDIXXI65HMXdvgTq-oHACw&q=partners+trouble+ho+gayi+double+cast&oq=partners+trouble+ho+gayi+double+cast&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0j0i22i30l2.2150.3669..4570...1.0..0.190.1047.0j6......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i67j0i10i67.I7Kmvu3yOCc

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Shreedipta Biswas

2015IPM102

In Cultural studies, Multiculturalism and Media culture by Douglas Kellner, Gramsci’s model of hegemony and counterhegemony is mentioned. It says that there are dominant ideologies of the ruling social class and their cultural forces are hegemonic. The ideologies of the subordinate culture which forms a resistance to it in order to aid the process of political struggle and emancipation from oppression and domination is called counterhegemonic. In today’s times we can see a similar phenomenon occurring. This is the increasing rise of Korean music throughout the global scenario. The Hallyu wave which is basically the rise of Korean wave is happening very rapidly throughout the world. But the Korean culture was very much prevalent in South Korea but why the sudden change in their demographic. It can be that this the counterhegemonic occurrence after US’s long hegemonic rule over the soft power. To give some evidence to this statement, let’s look into some data. BTS is one of the leading acts of the Hallyu wave. The given link gives us the top 10 countries which gave the most Youtube views to BTS contents. Other than US there are no other country representing the Western audience. Even countries like Argentina and Mexico which are on the list have their own cultures and music find association with the Hallyu wave. BTS is not the only example. There are multiple Korean acts that are getting global prominence. Train to the Busan is one of the highest grossing zombie movie ever. It got critical acclamation in International film festival.

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WHY WE NEED MORE OF MARY KOMs, VIDYA BAGCHIs AND SHASHI GODBOLEs

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WHY WE NEED MORE OF MARY KOMs, VIDYA BAGCHIs AND SHASHI GODBOLEs

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Vidushi R Singh
2016IPM117

The Indian show business has always been extremely misogynistic and patriarchal, be it in terms of movies, songs or TV shows. When the age old ‘family’ movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham reintroduces Pooja, or as she now likes being called, Poo, into the scene, it is akin to an explosion of clothes, make-up and all things glam. The way it is so important for Poo to be slim, hot, beautiful and desirable is something that has been replicated time and again in all media platforms in India. The idea always comes down to the fact that irrespective of how much economic or political power a woman may have, she will only truly feel powerful when she holds purchasing or sexual power. One very blatant example of this is seen in the movie Heroine. That a man must want her for a woman to be of any real value is something we see frequently in Bollywood and for that nothing must stand in the way. Such misplaced ideas of how a woman should behave and be are further cemented by songs such as “Gandi baat” in R..Rajkumar, “Jaadu Teri Nazar” in Darr and absolutely any Honey Singh song at all.

All of this is done in the name of enlightened sexism, under the belief that since women have already been empowered by now, such songs are only a representation of how they wish to be and how they want to be treated. The romanticisation of the stalker in Bollywood movies is something all of us have come to accept as natural. For a huge art of the population, such movies tell them how a girl has to be pursued and wooed.

The unending shopping, the constant dissing of others and the jealous fights over boys are a frequent occurrence in the Bollywood cornucopia and as entertaining as they seem, they are equally as harmful. They create fantasies of power for young girls, and even older women, about how they are so empowered that now every action is not a result of oppression but of personal choice. When earlier they were forced to stay at home and not work, now they do so because they wish to. While earlier being leered at made them uncomfortable because of what it might mean for their dignity, now the same catcalls become symbols of empowerment and pride. Now mindlessness becomes a choice, as does intelligence. Being an arm candy is somehow equally as empowering as being an independent person with attributed beyond the physical. Or at least that is what traditional Indian cinema claims to be the truth.

It is time that one must realize the consequences of this trivialization of the women empowerment stance in Bollywood and stop this before more explicit forms of injustice become the norm and again, we are left grumbling over the golden past of the country being ruined by men behind a screen and waiting for a Lakshmi Bai or a Geeta Phogat to somehow take center stage once more.

Artifact:
Any movie or song mentioned in the piece.
For a specific link to start with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=id&gl=ID&v=PqFMFVcCZgI

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He got 72 Problems But A Propaganda Ain't One

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He got 72 Problems But A Propaganda Ain't One

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By: Shiv Narayan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6IWU_TrIg8
Very often we come across videos trying to spread propaganda in our country. The videos range from being full-fledged movies in theatre and cinema to a short video clip shared on WhatsApp messages. But, in this "postmodern era," people often do fall into the trap of such propaganda by sometimes adhering to the original work of the creator(be it amateur or professional) or by believing that the text created by the more significant or immediate audience is the real and the right one. Postmodernism thus also holds a sense of manufacture of consent in various forms besides the tendency of the viewer to be sceptical about the media they consume. This manufacturing could be of hate, of mobilisation, of difference or any other force of prejudice, in this nation from time to time. In this example, we see a multidimensional effect which specific media creates in a society which is highly heterogeneous: propaganda films in the digital age, especially the one which we are an immediate part of has seen the dynamic shift with the changing politics of the country in the past decade.
The video of the Pakistani individual(Mullah) besides being highly controversial in the very nature of the content which is talked about took to controversies in even more sophisticated ways. Firstly, the video spread as propaganda which was against the motive of the creator as being pro Muslim and mobilising, for Muslim men (who are often interpreted to be exclusively fit to exercise it by many) across Pakistan. It was only that once the image spread over the Indian media, it became a de facto anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan propaganda in the eyes of most if not all Indian viewers. In the latest Indo-Pak surgical strike movie, URI, a mention of the lines of the Mullah is made in the trailer itself. The problem here goes beyond the scope of generalising a whole nation on the basis of one bad apple. It is critical that we understand how often it happens in this nation that we juxtapose an entire religion with a country to manufacture hate in the name of patriotism. One anti-Pakistan movie after another, the Indian viewers consume the idea of hating Pakistan as being essential towards Indian Nationalism. The juxtaposition of Muslim elements into the making of films further enhances the problem by creating deeply embedded biases in the minds of millions who aspire to hold secular values. The reproduction of the tension which exists between the two nations over Kashmir stagnates the idea of relations between the two countries to the level which was once experienced and shared by earlier generations.
SHIV NARAYAN

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Ola Cabs: From Native Mobile App to Progressive Web App

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Ola Cabs: From Native Mobile App to Progressive Web App

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Article: Long Live The Web -Tim Berners Lee

Proprietary technology has always been the way to go for companies wanting to grab a corner in the consumer's smartphone screen thus ensuring focused attention towards the service provided. Once installed, proprietary native mobile apps reduce the threat from other competitors in the same space. However, native software creates artificial walls around the facility and severely limits access based on devices/platforms a person uses. On the contrary, making an application on the Web would expose a firm to its rivals but would ensure the service reaches to every person connected to the Web irrespective of the device they are on.
Ola, the Indian Taxi Aggregator while expanding into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities of India recognised that a sizeable population in such cities do not own smartphones optimum to run their proprietary native app.
The Egalitarian principles of the web inspired the technology team of Ola to team up with Google and get a web app up and running such that no matter what the device a person is on, Ola taxi service would be accessible. The "Open Standards" as described by Lee helped Ola deliver innovation to people who had previously not experienced such conveniences with no restriction on the choices they make thus upholding the principles of the web

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Snickers ad- A case of "Enlightened sexism"

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Snickers ad- A case of "Enlightened sexism"

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APRATIP CHAKRABORTY
2016IPM021

Susan J. Douglas in his article "The rise of Enlightened sexism" defines the term Enlightened sexism to be a novel, subtle form of sexism. The media now emphasizes that sufficient equality for women has been accomplished and that we don't need feminism anymore in this world to have the voices of women heard. Hence, it is O.K. to resurrect regressive, sexist images of women in the media, all with a wink and a laugh.
The media artifact chosen by me to contextualize the existence of enlightened sexism in India is the hugely famous TV commercial of Snickers. Snickers is a chocolate brand in India which tries to portray its product as a substitute for food which can be consumed to remove hunger, which is not bad. The worse part follows next. The ad shows four young boys out on a trip in their car when the engine falters, and the car has to be pushed by three of them. Suddenly, one of the boys magically transforms into Sonam Kapoor (a girl) who refuses to push the "bullock-cart" any further. This ad has a controversial tagline "Tujhe bhukh lagti hai to tu ladki ban jata hai" (You nag like a girl when you feel hungry. So, apparently, all the annoying habits are being subtly associated with girls no matter if it's the guy's inherent problem.

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Need ka Nirman - Kumar Vishwas vs Amitabh Bachan -

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Need ka Nirman - Kumar Vishwas vs Amitabh Bachan -

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Submitted by
P Saurav Gopal
2016IPM071

In a recent incident AAP leader Kumar Vishwas uploaded a video of him singing a poem "Need ka Nirman" written by legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachan. He expected that the Bachan family will be happy to hear this and also called it a tribute to Mr.Harivansh Rai Bachan, But thinks went against his expectations Bollywood super star Mr. Amit Bachan twitted that he send a legal notice to Mr. Kumar Vishwas for infringement of copy rights, and he actually did - As per the notice the video should immediately be removed from youtube and the earned revenue should be sent to Mr.Bachan . This was pretty unexpected although Mr. Bachan might have emotional reasons to do so, why would he ask Mr. Kumar for the revenue earned ? (which was just 32Rs). We don't clearly have an answer for this, maybe he had emotional reasons to do so. But this clearly shows me the ground reality of the concerns raised by Lawrence Lessig in the article "For the Love of Culture". If sons and daughters poets and writers where to protect the works of their Parents then think of the amount of poems and writings that will be lost. I think it is high time for us to work on this issue of copyrights and find a balance between the two extremes otherwise as the author said we might end up having to consult a lawyer at ever turn of a page.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkE-lIBL_ME

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Submitted by: Ananya Nigam

2016IPM012

For this critical response I have chosen some screenshots from some news channels in India.

We discussed in the class of Media and Propaganda, how the book, ‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media’ written by Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman is relevant in Indian context through an article ‘Manufacturing Consent in India: Mass Media and the Political Elites’ written by Mr. Paresh Hate.

The article discusses how the five filters of Editorial Bias are playing in whenever these media platforms serve us a news item.

So when I was looking for artifacts, I found some pictures who are not a part of any propaganda (not directly, at least). Then I don't get it why they are playing it on there channel? And it's not like they are some kind of important news item that they are doing out of ethics. In fact, they are so petty that I wonder how did they even make it to a news telecast?

Why would a cat who is stuck on a window sill or a donkey who has a “unique ability” to sleep on the ground, get broadcasted on channels like Aajtak and IndiaTV? These are not the small players we are talking about. Neither do I think that any big corporate or politician is gaining anything out of it. By this logic, are these items just fillers?

If you look at the bottom of the picture, something about Congress and Amitabh Bacchan is going on. It's actually hard to determine “the importance” of both the news items since, highlighting whether a particular famous actor (Amitabh Bacchan) likes or dislikes a particular political party of our country (Congress) can be traced back to one of filters of Editorial Bias; Fear of an Enemy. People who admire Amitabh, in a way, are being tempted to like Congress. And if any other party issues some conflicting statement, it becomes enemy of sorts.

If a cat getting stuck somewhere is just a filler, then why do channels need them? They clearly have some propagandas to preach,or, if I could add one more example, a crime is being reported in bottom news flash but in the main frame a news regarding a lost dog of some officer is going on. So basically, a crime is still more important, I guess.

I would like to rest my case by saying, it is crucial how we look at these 'fillers'. It's either channels really don't have anything important to show or they have something important to hide.

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Feminist Comic Humor- Biting Images of Realities 

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Feminist Comic Humor- Biting Images of Realities 

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Gatha Lashkari
2016 IPM 039

Comics have always been a crucial way to express events from daily life. This is the essence of the comics. Each part of the comic strip is a link to the other and with each part that the reader reads; the comic develops a sense of suspense and builds on to it. Comics have evolved as they’ve come a long way. Earlier comics portray an exaggerated and often a censored and modified form of reality. They were normalized to the prevailing circumstances. However, now we encounter comics which are somewhat a reflection of what really goes around.

Feminist comic humor is one such form of comics which bring out social inequalities and sexism with a biting sense of humor. It challenges the stereotypical definitions of women and femininity. The chosen artifact attacks the thinking of the primed reader. As soon as the reader encounters the first part of the comic strip, the immediate reaction is that of concern and horror. The reader subconsciously assumes that something must have gone wrong with the protagonist as she is walking out of her home after midnight. What follows later in the comic is an counter and a blunt outright attack on the very thinking that persists, and the notion/ norm towing the line between right and wrong, and ‘safe’ and  ‘unsafe’ for a women. It breaks that mold. The disarming humor here is a vehicle of expression of the frustration and suffocation that women experience as they are forced to fit in the mold of norms decided for women but not by them, where these norms reflect nuanced versions of social injustice normalized to portray protection of women. This artifact is an parody of this social constructions.

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Arwanker Pyngrope
2016IPM023

Gillette has always established itself as a leading brand when it comes to men’s grooming products. Their catchy slogan, ‘The best a Man can get’ has been effectively marketed to their audience and it has been a repetitive feature in almost all of their advertisements and commercials. However, we have to stop and ask ourselves, what according to Gillette is the definition of a ‘Man’?

Though there are several ads where Gillette uses this rhetoric, one particular commercial by Gillette features the portrayal of their version of a so called ‘Man’. In this commercial, their representation of masculinity is characterized by certain attributes that have been continually reinforced time and time again in order to convince their male consumers to continue to buy their products in order to reach this ideal image of male behaviour. In other words, they repeatedly enforce hegemonic masculinity through their commercials.

The commercial starts with multiple shots which consist of athletes achieving great heights, for example, scoring a slam dunk in basketball and scaling the top of a mountain highlighting the need of a man to achieve success. In addition there are also shots of famous athletes including David Beckham and Muhammed Ali all while the narrator states that every guy experiences that one ‘feeling’. This feeling refers to their dominance in their field, their superiority and their unbreakable attitude. A shot captures a man looking flirtatiously to a woman with the narrator saying ‘You look they smile’ further highlighting the man’s power and control over the woman. A repeated goal to achieve is further highlighted throughout the video and it is important to note that in this commercial, a specific occupational status or achievement is the main feature which is reinforced. The commercial further highlights that every move a man should make should be ‘smooth’ or ‘cool’ in every way. It is this representation of masculinity which will derive success and pleasure in life and it is an experience which should never be lost for a ‘Man’.

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NUSIPIRKSIU.LT David Beckham Gillette commercial

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Sumit Choudhary
2106IPM108

https://youtu.be/w0YUYwfvqZw (MAAFI)

https://youtu.be/_FwhLonMupc (Thanda Thanda Paani)

According to Birmingham School's Theory of Style, Cultural Appropriation formed the basis in some cases and in some it was simple Bricolage i.e, construction of a sculpture or an identity using whatever comes to hand. But in a lot of youth cultures for example the ones formed by the first and second generation immigrants, they adapted to appropriation and resignification of the heritage styles that were existing there. But as Bucholtz puts it, "New ethnicities or new identities are also produced through acts of appropriation between self and other. Young people may negotiate in interaction among a variety of ethnicized or racialized subject positions, to which they may or may not have a culturally legalized claim In this process language is often a privileged resource for staking identity claims."

The artefact I have chosen is a remix of the song"Sorry" that is sung by Justin Bieber in English. The video makers are Indian who have adapted the English version of the song through a language that they relate their identity with. This is usually seen in Bollywood. Such a practice is usually seen in our country where people have adapted to foreign cultural practices into their practices using language as a medium.

The term desi-hip-hop is also an example of cultural appropriation of the rap culture. It is a term for music and culture which combines the impact of hip-hop culture on the Indian sub-continent. The term is used as an alternative for rap music and even pop music which involves the rappers of South-Asia. Rap music was introduced in India by Baba Seghal with his albums including 'Thanda Thanda Paani',  'Dilruba', 'Mai bhi Maddona', etc. Today's rap music finds its origin in hip-hop culture of young, urban, working-class African Americans and it's roots in the African oral culture, and it's function as the voice of an under represented group. It was started by members of a different culture but we have examples of Indian rappers like Badshah, Honey Singh, Dhinchak Pooja, Emiway Bantai who have made rap songs as a part of Bollywood culture using Hindi Lyrics. The use of Hindi helps them make this appropriation more authentic to an audience who will be 'the public' to this text. Such a movement of cultures globally leads to the acts of appropriation and then when a certain section of adapts this and it becomes popular, the appropriation starts happening at a local level. Today the rap culture comes to out culture quiet naturally in the way it has been appropriated and accepted by the audience of this art.

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Prerna Gaur
2016IPM079
Artifact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuJTqmpBnI0

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Sexism and objectification in Super Bowl- Rohit Sonker

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Sexism and objectification in Super Bowl- Rohit Sonker

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The Super Bowl Ad for the Fiat 500 Abarth, entitled "Seduction," which disclosed amid the amusement, highlights Romanian bathing suit model Catrinel Menghia as an attractive, feisty Italian young lady. Amid the clasp, a geeky fellow holding a latte is discovered looking excessively long at her as she changes a tie on her shoe, prompting a quick slap as she castigates him in Italian.

The young lady at that point changes her tone to a progressively delicate and coy one, murmuring in the person's ear and dunking a finger in the froth of his latte, spreading some on his lips and dropping some on her chest.

Similarly as the person inclines in to kiss her, with the Abarth scorpio-molded logo inked on the back of her neck, she vanishes and transforms into the games variant of Fiat's super-minimized vehicle, set to hit the US advertise in the not so distant future
The ad is sexist to say at the least it very well attaches the testosterone a guy is supposed to get with getting a car.

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Official FIAT 500 Abarth 2012 Super Bowl Commercial

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Arundhati Babar
2015IPM017

On Friday morning, the most waited trailer of the year: Avengers, The Endgame was released. The Russo brothers said, "For those who have been here since the beginning. For those who have joined along the way", involving and including everyone who has been a part of their gigantic fan following.

The fun thing to know here is that it's not been this strategy from the beginning. Initially, it was very exclusive, and only those who had been following it from the first, with movies and comics were drawn to it. But over time they realised that there was a threat of this ‘high culture’, if it stayed that way for too long, it will lose. Hence, when Iron Man first debuted, the entire world went ga-ga over Robert Downey Jr, and moreover Tony Stark. And since then, they have been monetizing on their fictitious, romanticized end of world scenarios. John Storey, in his article, “Cultural Theory and Popular Culture”, using his five definitions of pop-culture, would definitely categorize The Marvel Universe as massively pop culture. “The field of popular culture is structured by the attempt of the ruling class to win hegemony (here; over DC), and by forms of opposition to this endeavour.” What works for them is that they don't use everyday life to depict instances, but what contemporaries imagine life to be. The claim that popular culture is American culture has a long history within the theoretical mapping of the popular culture. It operates under the term ‘Americanization’. And that is why, the influence of American culture worldwode is undoubted. Also, being a part of this Marvel Universe has an effect of binding us to the social order; a social order which is marked by enormous inequalities of wealth, status and power. Hence, being able to talk about MU gives one a status quo to become a part of what others think is popular culture, irrespective of what they personally believe of it. And that's exactly what enavles Avengers, The Endgame to wipe out records in half a day.

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'Avengers: Endgame' Official Trailer (2019) | Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.

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Youth Media and Popular Culture- Shashwat Kotambkar

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Youth Media and Popular Culture- Shashwat Kotambkar

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Mary Bucholt the spotlight in human studies has been on commencement functions, sexual practices, romance and conjugal traditions, intergenerational relations, and the change to adulthood. While this confining of youngsters as nearly grown-ups has blocked an affirmation of the manners by which youth and adolescents wind up made and distinguished socially and socially, Bucholtz recommends that "shifts both in the control and on the planet's societies have extended the scope of anthropological request, and accordingly the field has seen more examination of youth social practices" and portrays humanities as "especially very much arranged to offer a record of how youngsters around the globe create and arrange social structures".

Such a development toward perceiving youth as the members and eyewitnesses of the way of life that they guarantee, reject, and redo without anyone else terms is clear in the 12 articles and 3 book surveys displayed here, which include determinations from the early and center of the twentieth century notwithstanding later works. The subjects considered in these articles incorporate political commitment, monetary and instructive chances (or the scarcity in that department), sex, sexuality, transitional experiences and custom, culture change, utilization, pop culture, dialect, intergenerational strife, and place and space. We can't guarantee that this gathering, winnowed from the distributions of the American Anthropological Association, is in any capacity authoritative of the dynamic field of concentrate on youth. Our point in uniting these works is to give beginning stages to drawing nearer and connecting with youth in humanities.

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Journey of Cricket from High Culture to Popular Culture in India-Sarvesh Pachgade

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Journey of Cricket from High Culture to Popular Culture in India-Sarvesh Pachgade

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An artifact supporting reading: What is Popular Culture?

Cricket, as we see today, has become an inseparable part of our lives (if not another way of life). From a luxury part-time sport of the elite in British India, cricket is a force that binds people speaking 22 different languages with 700 different dialects belonging to 2000 different ethnicities to shout together “India.”

Contemporary cricket fits the second definition of culture given by Raynold Williams that defines culture as: “a particular way of life, whether of people, a period or a group.”

A way of defining the popular culture according to William is “the culture that is left over when we have decided the high culture.” According to this definition cricket in British India would fall under high culture. It can be identified as a practice that separates an ‘individual’ from ‘the thousands’. The skill of bowling, batting and the technical knowledge of different types of shots was restricted to the Kings or British officers who could afford to spend time on such activity. Movie Lagaan, quite accurately depicts the cricket that was prevalent in British India and how the poor villagers were apprehensive

The fact that makers of Lagaan chose cricket (a slow paced game that would make up for less on-screen drama) instead of some more aggressive sport reinforces the thought that it had the potential to attract Indian masses to theatres and has fully transformed into popular culture. As opposed to a transition that is expected to lose its status of high culture when it becomes a mass culture, cricket has retained its title of a gentleman’s game. This encourages us to question that should the two cultures (viz. popular and high cultures) must remain exhaustive of each other? This also intrigues us to think that if a time would come when cricket would shed-off its roots of an elite culture and completely become an activity of the mass or would it go back to being an elitists’ luxury.

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Tumblr’s Adult Content Ban: Algorithmic Errors Abound

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Tumblr’s Adult Content Ban: Algorithmic Errors Abound

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Sreyan Chatterjee
2016IPM106

On 3rd December 2018, Tumblr announced that posts having Adult Content will no longer be allowed on its platform. Their updated community guidelines go like this “Tumblr is not for Adult Content: Don't upload images, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples —this includes content that is so photorealistic that it could be mistaken for featuring real-life humans (nice try, though). Certain types of artistic, educational, newsworthy, or political content featuring nudity are fine. Don’t upload any content, including images, videos, GIFs, or illustrations, that depicts sex acts.”

Tumblr brought about this close to two weeks after Apple removed the Tumblr iOS app from the Apple App Store after Child Pornography content was found on it. The content was removed as soon as it was flagged by users. Interestingly, Tumblr released a blog post wherein they say that the Adult Content ban shouldn’t be seen as a fallout of the Child Pornography issue. This is not the first time Tumblr is facing such an issue. Tumblr which is owned by Oath Inc. (A subsidiary of Verizon Communications which is also the parent company of Yahoo! and AOL) faced a similar backlash in 2013 when it was acquired by Yahoo!. This time however, a law passed by the US Congress by the name Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act and Stop Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA-SESTA) acted as a significant tool to prevent Tumblr from covering this issue up easily. Notably, the FOSTA-SESTA led to many Subreddits, Patreon and Craigslists accounts being shut. Thus, Tumblr banning Adult Content shouldn’t be seen as an isolated incident. However, the debate shouldn’t be just restricted to why Tumblr is banning but also to how Tumblr is banning the contents.

Contents that have been flagged as inappropriate include

1)      https://kotaku.com/tumblrs-new-algorithm-thinks-garfield-is-explicit-conte-1830854912.

2)      http://digg.com/2018/tumblr-flagged-adult-content-mistakes

3)      https://nerdist.com/tumblr-anti-adult-content-algorithm-not-working/

The post which declared Tumblr’s adult content ban has itself being flagged as inappropriate. While this may seem bizarre at first glance, we need to understand that machines do not see images like we humans do. In a layperson’s language, computers see clusters of pixels coming together to form images in patterns which they have seen in the past. Thus Tumblr’s new algorithm might just be firing anything and everything new it is coming across as inappropriate. Machine Learning (ML) codes are known for misidentifying patterns and coming up with spurious correlations in the past. Google Photos once marked a white American’s black friends as Gorillas. The issues are not just limited to image recognition codes. Facebook showed ads of kids toys and clothes to a woman who had a miscarriage.

Tumblr’s case can be seen as an example of Garbage In-Garbage Out (GIGO). Millions of data sets containing adult and not-adult content is fed into the system which based on these identifies patterns. With a dataset containing bad data, the results are bound to be equally bad. Relying solely on algorithms is thus extremely problematic. Until we come up with better systems, we need to ensure human moderation as well. However, classifying anything as Not Safe for Work (NSFW) and Safe For Work (SFW) isn’t as straightforward as it appears to be. Humans are also data sets. However their actions cannot be simply converted into a stream of 0s and 1s. The concept of “Cognitive Rent” as talked about in Matteo Pasquinelli’s essay on Google’s Page Rank algorithm raises this very same point. Google, Facebook, Tumblr etc have very little to claim as their IP apart from the platform they are providing. This platform us an aggregate of the algorithms which reply on getting the data from human inputs. Thus keywords like “Porn” might ban tags like “Foodporn” (which presents food in a “glamorous” manner) and “Wordporn” (a social media page for quotes).

As a reddit user joked about Tumblr’s staff having a conversation like this

PHB: We've got too much porn on Tumblr. Make the porn go away!

Developer: Um… that's what our site is, mostly. How exactly do you want to make it go away?

PHB: I read an article about Machine Learning! Build an ML system to do it!

Developer: That… isn't going to work.

PHB: I. READ. AN. ARTICLE. Just do your damn job and build a porn filtering system.

It would be interesting to address the questions that this issue has raised about algorithms and the people behind it.

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Tumblr's adult content ban flags photo of Capitals' Alex Ovechkin sleeping with Stanley Cup as NSFW

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The new algorithm appears to have a few bugs

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#PUTLJUG: Hegemony meets Manufacturing Consent

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#PUTLJUG: Hegemony meets Manufacturing Consent

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Aarjav Sethi
Artifact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3q0eEHGVNQ

The artifact is the news report on Putin “discovering” ancient artifact while scuba diving in south Russia. This fits right under the public image of Putin. The former Russian spy, who rides horses half naked in the winter, loves to cuddle leopards, takes a shirtless ice bath, and rides with a nuclear “doomsday” torpedo capable of ending the world, what more do you need from your president. After all, Putin is the “man”. He falls right under the R. W. Connels definition of Hegemonic Masculinity.

But let’s focus how his image has been developed in the media. Portrayal of Putin in the news in above case led to another round of talks focusing on “how great is Putin”. Even these talks were recorded and displayed on National Television. Several snapshots of Putin have led to the similar discussion in the mass. This is yet another example of what Chomsky has described as manufacturing consent.  With the cases like this, media is effectively building the image of Putin as a no nonsense leader who should not be meddled with at any cost. This is the image that Putin absolutely require to maintain his authoritarian control over public. The aim of cases such as above is to systematically divert the attention from more logical facts like rampant corruption and political assassinations to “This guy can kick America’s butt” for the citizens of nation.  In the above case, there was significant proof of the news being manufactured by the media, as two divers had recently searched the area before “accidental” discovery by Putin. But as other logical facts, these were “taken care of”.

Media will keep on “reporting” such cases and Putin will continue to be the “man”. After all, with great power comes great masculinity.

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Youtube's base Rewinds on it- Ansh Mishra

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Youtube's base Rewinds on it- Ansh Mishra

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Artefact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbJOTdZBX1g

YouTube Rewind (shall be referred to as Rewind from here on) is a video series, produced and released by YouTube near the end of each year, as implied by the name. This video attempts to be a recap of each year’s viral videos, events and trends. Music has always been omnipresent in the background, but celebrity cameos are becoming popular over the years, with the advent of viral music videos, ranging from Psy’s “Gangnam Style” to Drake and Lil Pump’s “I love it.” Historically, music has been the most watched content of YouTube, so it is only natural to have them represented in Rewind.

Typically, Rewind videos have been quite popular. However, this year’s video has been deeply unpopular, with 45 million view, and a like to dislike ratio of 1.4 Million likes to 3.8 Million dislikes.
This video shows the safest, most basic, appealing to the lowest common denominator sense of humour, which will offend none and attempts to please everyone. Given the kind of a platform YouTube is, being playful about the events of the past year is something which they could do to gain some credentials with the viewers, since there was a lot of “drama” which could be referenced. But YouTube misses out on doing so because of the tussle between YouTube’s identity as a platform for creators, against the identity of a platform for advertisers and big-name production companies.

They choose the “safest” non-controversial content creators, who make the YouTube brand look approachable, nice and accepting of all, when that isn’t the case. There is a part in the video where the video grinds to a halt and tries to address the audience, where once-popular stars like Lily Singh (Channel: Superwoman) say lines like “you know who needs to be in this video? Everyone who managed to be something bigger than themselves and worked for causes which matter to them the most.” While there obviously isn’t much wrong with the message itself, the message sounds fake and preachy, with viewers aware that creators get large pay-outs for featuring in these videos.

The audience knows that YouTube is trying to cover the platform’s truth with content they deem “acceptable” and “advertiser-friendly,”

Hence, the audience express their ire and dissatisfaction in the dislikes, and in the comments. The comments are overwhelmingly negative, the dislikes are self-explanatory about the sentiment. Here, we can see the coming of an audience, which is discerning. It is able to see YouTube’s identity crisis and see that their favoured content creators are losing out to the corporates. The cherry on top is the fact that the video starts and ends with cameos from Will Smith, there are late night show hosts who do Fortnite dances. (popular celebratory dances from the shooter game, Fortnite)

These people are last ones a viewer thinks of when thinking of YouTube. Yet, YouTube wants to associate itself with these very individuals, and has thus alienated its own audience. The number one subscribed Youtuber, PewDiePie, who hasn’t been in Rewind since the past two years, has set off the largest chain of events of this year in “YouTube history” with his war with T-series. Yet, there wasn’t a single mention of those incidences. Such a disconnect has left discerning users tired and harried. They see YouTube’s attempts to go corporate and at the same time attempt to be a platform for independent creators, while undermining the very creators who made the website into what it is.

Hence, we see how YouTube is facing the consequences of marginalising its platform’s largest, self-made, well-loved creators. Subscribe to PewDiePie

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Submitted by
Harmin Gandhi
2016IPM041

The concept of Hegemonic Masculinity is reinforced in the ad of H&M for superbowl 2012. The ad is directed by Guy Ritchie and features David Beckham in lead. Supposedly a successful campaign, it reinforces the idea of hegemonic masculinity where the ad is action-packed in a scenario where David Beckham is running through the streets. His provocative physical appearance is supposed to impress the audience where the qualities of a ‘real man’ are demonstrated. David Beckham as a person is normally considered very masculine where he is globally recognized as a sportsperson, financially wealthy and a family man. His status of being a family man is evident from his Instagram posts which majorly feature his family. His rugged and athletic body for a sportsman further classify him as a ‘real man’ which other men are supposed to achieve. Thus, David Beckham is a strategic decision by the filmmakers to represent a real man because he follows two features laid down by Trujillo for a real man. His power is defined in terms of physical force and control (particularly in terms of body) and his heterosexuality is confirmed again with him being a family man, his wife being globally known for her extraordinary beauty, and he has tattooed the name of his wife on his body. This construction of a real man is used by the filmmakers to their advantage where the audience can resonate with the purpose of the product of the ad.

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David Beckham Bodywear Underwear for H&M Commercial

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Google Search helps us search within ourselves. ~Kartik Kohli

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Google Search helps us search within ourselves. ~Kartik Kohli

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Google Search has become an essential part of our lives, whether we realize it or not. Everyday questions being answered on just a few taps is undoubtedly a privilege. While we take this into account, we must also understand how Google has established itself in this position. Of all the exciting advertisements Google has created, there has been one which has attracted the awe of Indian audiences, way back in 2013.

The “Google Search” ad developed a great storyline with very ordinary characters and inspired from the stories we hear from our grandparents. That’s right, our grandparents. It is something which most of us Indians, if not all hold dear, i.e., our relationship with our grandparents — the link that starts with stories about our childhoods and then their own. This is something which is common for most Indians, which is utilized by Google as an effective stimulus. The backdrop of the ad is based around two friends separated after the Partition of India, an event which profoundly affects our older generations even after 66 years (2013) of Independence. The pain of separation, the love for one’s grandparents, and the desire of the young kids to make their elders happy all play into this ad. The subsequent events, the little cues for stimulating emotions are based on the audience’s already established knowledge and connections. The biggest of all the elements have been the desire of the people of two countries to come together, putting their differences on the side. The emotional value attached to it resonates with the feelings of the people belonging to the two countries. They are instantly glued to the concept, the idea of reunion and happiness of reliving the childhood.

Throughout the ad, the main product at the display - “The Google Search” fits into the lives of the characters seem well. Everyday tasks of finding things and information which is necessary are subtly put in as part of the story. We’re already glued to the concept of the ad, because of what we already know and what we feel about the subject, that we don’t question how easily Google Search has replaced traditional means of locating information in our lives. The whole advertisement can be termed as a useful example of resonance theory, where the audience is affected by the stimuli (the ad) due to the already existing framework of knowledge and information they have. The desired behavioral effect is to integrate Google into the everyday lives of the individuals, making them dependent on it to seek quick and valid information.

Finally, the ending of the advertisement shows the two long lost friends enjoying the rains just like in their childhoods. The whole narrative of the ad puts Google in a position where it has reunited the two people while only being a part of their children’s lives. The ad is probably one of the great ad campaigns pursued by Google over the years, exemplifying the idea of developing content which uses existing information with the audience to effectively communicate the message.

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Artefact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuJTqmpBnI0

Submitted By: Cherry Yadvendu

Heterosexual men are quite often the heroes of movies. From being portrayed as 'defenders' of the nation, woman, being extremely macho in nature to being effectively irritated,  bad tempered leaders while the ladies are commonly subordinate characters who are damsel in distress or sex objects of the film. They are unreasonably enthusiastic, physically frail and dependent on their male accomplices. Compassion and being vulnerable  is often  viewed as a fixing and a shortcoming in one's character and is always to be rejected by male heroes.

Hegemonic Masculinity is something on which we’ve all been raised. These elements can be seen notably in almost all Disney movies. The idea of Disney princes being tough, true love of the princesses, kissing them without their consent and everyone being okay with it and lastly always saving the day has now become hegemony since society too has started believing it.In order to shed more light on how we’re being fed hegemonic masculinity right from the time we were infants, I chose the movie Beauty and The Beast.

Beauty and the Beast, the whole movie is filled with this idea of strong superior men. Whether it is Gaston or the Beast himself. The movie also further shows how Belle’s father, an old, short, pot bellied man is not a “real man” since he is not masculine or of the stature of a man who has all the inherent hegemonic masculine traits.

According to Trujillo, there are 5 major features to hegemonic masculinity and without a surprise Gaston from the movie satisfies them all.

1. Power defined in terms of physical force and control (particularly in terms of body) : Gaston can literally do anything and everything. If he misbehaves with someone, punches someone for fun, nobody questions or object. Every man wants to be like Gaston. He uses his physique and his strength to control people around him and do as he pleases

2. Defined through occupational achievement in an industrial capitalist society : Gaston’s occupation is that of  a hunter. In their society,  a hunter was someone of high value, who was strong and fearless. Someone who would venture into the woods hunt animals for people and was in turn paid in huge sums of money.

3. Represented in terms of familial patriarchy: Being the town hero came easy to Gaston since he came from a line of rich French Noblemen.

4. Is symbolized by the daring, romantic frontiersman of yesteryear and of the present-day outdoors-man: Throughout the movie, one cans see instances where Gaston acts daring, believes that he will be able to defeat the beast. He is portrayed to be someone who every woman wants to be with.  He is handsome, sexist and narcissistic.

5. Heterosexuality becomes defined and centered on the representation of the phallus: Of course, Gaston is straight. Being strong, masculine, wealthy, hero wasn’t enough that Disney had to make him heterosexual playing right into the hands of the hetero normative society.

All in all, even though I have particularly focused on Gaston from Beauty and the beast, instances of this can be found in any Disney movie one picks, whether it snow white, where snow cannot fend for self and only the 7 dwarves and a prince can save her. Or in the little mermaid or the sleeping beauty, the list goes on and on. Since the concept has now built into our own society, maybe Disney is not all to blame for the beast turning into a man and not a woman with whom Belle could’ve had a happily ever after. Gaston, to date seems to be one of worst characters Disney could have created to endorse toxic masculinity. This further just proves how ideologies are conceivable and we as media literacy students are now realising it. Given, its long adventure from Greek city-states to Marxist socialism in the world of Disney which prompted the  examination of these movies, it remains a commanding power in for all intents and purposes each part of human life today.

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Submitted by-
Nayanika Chakraborty
2016IPM066

You want to shop from the Amazon website, but it loads so slowly that you give up. At the same time, using the same internet connection, you can browse the Flipkart site at a much faster speed. Unfortunately this is an instance of some of the Internet’s powerful users chipping away at its principles. This example highlights a case of distinction- a distinction made between two website- one with which your Internet Service provider struck a deal and hence you could access it with ease and the other with which it did not, leading to so much inconvenience when wanting to access it. This distinction highlights the concept of net neutrality.Net neutrality means that all content is equal and all sites are equally accessible no matter which ISP I have subscribed to. Every time my ISP makes it more convenient for me to access one site compared to another, it is establishing control over me. It is manipulating what content I will be consuming at the end of the day. Come to think of it, if my ISP makes it difficult for me to access content related  to certain political ideologies or religions or even a particular school of thought, that is pointing to a larger problem.

Net Neutrality is for the Internet. The Internet and Web are different. The Web is an application that runs on Internet which means that despite the two being different, a  Web user  is also a user of the Internet. So any interference caused to the Internet will have an adverse effect on the Web user. Digital rights are human rights that allow individuals to access, create, and publish and mostly importantly, use all digital media. The term encompasses the right to protection of personal data of an individual, the right to their privacy as well as their right to freedom of expression.

The Web, as Tim Berners-Lee  puts it, “is vital to democracy- a communications channel that makes possible a continuous worldwide conversation.”  It is based on egalitarian principles which means that no matter where you are located, what computer you have, whether your Internet connection is wired or wireless- you should not be discriminated on the Web based on what content you can access and in this context, at what speed despite which ISP you have. It developed into the powerful and ubiquitous tool it is today because what was initially created to help scientists share data across the Internet was given away by Tim Berners-Lee for free.  The simple setup of one web and one browser, when it started, upheld a radical concept- Any person could share information with anyone else, anywhere.Net neutrality is a threta to the Internet and hence to the Web. Berners- Lee had created it envisioning certain principles it should function on- like universality, open standards, human rights, decentralization.Threats like these are destructing the very purpose of the existence of the Web. As Berners-lee himself says, “The web is critical not merely to the digital revolution but to our continued prosperity-and even our liberty .Like democracy itself, it needs defending.”

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Can We Stop Pretending K-Pop is Popular?

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Can We Stop Pretending K-Pop is Popular?

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Bhagya Shree Jayas
2016IPM028
Artefact: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2018/06/21/stop-pretending-k-pop-popular/

One of the six perspectives of Popular Culture laid down by John Storey in his essay, “What is Pop Culture?” is the postmodernist centered theory. The main point that he insists on is that postmodernists do not see a distinction between high culture and pop culture. The blurring distinction between ‘authentic’ and ‘commercial’ culture terrifies anti-post modernists and an excellent example of this fear manifests in the opinion piece, “Can We Stop Pretending K-Pop is Popular?”,by Adam Buckley.

One of the questions critics of the postmodernist perspective pose is what is being sold in the commercialist culture: Song or product? When it comes to K-Pop, many feel that it would be the latter. The author of this article reiterates this, stating that the massive popularity it has gained in the US is due to “a few hardcore, mouthy fans that have made it seem like it is”. It no longer is about the songs or the message that any K-pop group tries to send out, but rather the structured commercialisation of their image, promoted by the companies that the idol groups work under.

There are many different perspectives to this issue that have been debated constantly. The overall view is that K-Pop is manufactured, and the assembly and promotion of an idol group are carefully planned- They have dancers, vocalists, and rappers, all of whom are good looking beyond belief. This article, however, focuses on how BTS gained an almost alarming presence overnight in the States, and how this phenomenon seems as fleeting as Psy’s popularity with one viral song. He tries to justify how BTS’ two albums released in the same year, Love Yourself: Tear and Love Yourself: Answer hit the #1 spot on the Billboard charts with what he terms as very few sales. He sarcastically points out that “for something considered “popular”, these are pretty weak numbers”. This once again comes back to the debate postmodernism poses: What is to be considered popular? What is the quantifiable number that makes something popular? He compares the Korean invasion to the British invasion of The Beatles back in the day. But wasn't that considered popular too?

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-Priyanshi Sharma
2016IPM080

The Simpsons had been a very popularized and much liked show in America for decades.

Given, The Sipmpson is not, by any measure, recent , but it's still in everyone's mind, it's effects on the society are still omnipresent, because of it's popularity.

It is known for its undeniable wit and accurate predictions, as it should be. What it should not be popular for is- Stereotyping, which it is. Here, we are talking about our own resident Indian- Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
Apu is an Indian immigrant and is stereotypically Indian (in a way that is not even Indian). Everything about him, from his accent to the way he carries himself, is stereotypical. And as Sister Elizabeth Thoman says, in the reading 'How to break the stereotypes.' ,categorizing is dangerous too. Stereotypes can become too rigid and when there is no room for growth the label becomes stifling, both for the individuals who are labeled and for the category itself.
Many go on to say that Simpsons stereotyped everyone, so it shouldn't be a problem. While I agree with the first statement, what they forget is that he was the only Indian representation,unlike with other cultures,in the western culture for a very long time, and many people started to view Indians in the same mould, which is a problem.
Apu, in this video, and the whole series has an accent, which, stays with very few Indians while they speak, and is not a norm but many people in the West expect Indians to speak that way.
This video, in addition, had multiple other stereotypes as well about religion,forced, arranged marriages, travelling on elephants, the traditions, the belief in everything that God says.
This formed a set pattern in west's mind about what India is, which not everyone complies with, and hence bullying and other disparities ensue.
The Simpson has defined cool for a long time. This, however, is not cool.

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Submitted By - Anusha Soni

Yankee Doddle Dandy is a rhyme that every American kid and a lot of kids of other nationalities hum even when they barely know how to put together words to make meaningful sentences. However, few know the origins of the rhyme and how it isn’t as purposeless as it may seem. When Sean Heuston talks about media propaganda, he primarily focuses on the visual media channels including movies, news etc that effect an individual through a combination of texts and images. However, one other media channel that is highly effective in mutation of an individual’s ideologies is that of music. Jacques Ellul rightly said that for propaganda to be effective it must "fill the citizen's whole day and every day". The channel of music is as close to this aspect of functionality of propaganda as it can get. Music is one thing that people derive pleasure from and use it as a background activity more often than not. Hence, there’s a lot of unconscious storing and conditioning that happens through music but goes unnoticed because of the implicit nature of the consumption. Music propaganda is not a new phenomenon and a great example of this is the famous Yankee Doodle Dandy rhyme. Yankee Doodle Dandy was not originally an American song. It was initially written by a British army surgeon to make fun of colonial soldiers during the French and Indian war. The word “Yankee” was meant to insult the American soldiers and the word “Dangy” was a derogatory slang for someone stupid or foolish. However, Americans who were being insulted through the song took the ownership of the same and metamorphosed the image of the Yankee Doodle into a source of pride and promise. The song thereafter spread across regions rapidly and was frequently sung by Americans to express patriotism. The song was basically presented to symbolise uniformity and a common thread that binds all the Americans together. Hence, whenever the song was played or sung, it always brought with it a message of patriotism to be imbibed by the listeners. No wonder “Yankee Doodle Dandy” became one of the first songs that any American kid would learn. Other not-so-positive example of music propaganda include the multiple parodies created by Westboro Baptist Churc which is an American Baptist Church (in)famous for its extensive use of hate speech. All in all, if there’s one medium of propaganda through which messages can be surreptitiously communicated without being conspicuously noticed, it has to be music.

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The changing global pop culture is problematic

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The changing global pop culture is problematic

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Shreedipta Biswas
2015IPM102
This video was taken from America's well reputed new channel ABC. These two news show anchor was talking about BTS's speech in the UN general Assembly, where they were invited as the representatives of the youth.

What seems to be the problem is the attitude the news anchor while presenting the achievement. Will have the similar behaviour if it was any other group boyband like Queen and Beatles. Yes, I am comparing them to Queen and Beatles. Why should I not, the notion most people have that Queen and Beatles are for the elites, it is a high culture because it is not consumed by the general public. But there was a time when it was consumed by the general public. But that is not where the problem lies. The problem lies in the fact that the western culture perceives BTS (Eastern culture) to be not educated enough to give the speech in UN Assembly. The reason that news anchor,  Kendis Gibson gives that they dance in synchronization wearing flashy clothes. But how can that be the reason when The Queen front man Freddie Mercury had one of the fanciest Stage clothes. This happens due to the West’s perspective of thinking oriental culture to be this state of becoming. We have not fully grown enough and are in the stage of instability and confusion and they should not be given any power which they cannot handle. The leader of BTS is one of a brilliant student across the whole nation and his ranking was in the top 1.35 of the whole nation. Burt that is not good enough criteria for the news anchor. This video shows even with all BTS’s growing popularity they are still considered mainstream and not worthy enough.

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ABC News Anchor Kendis Gibson disrespects & insults Talented GLOBAL SUPERSTAR GROUP BTS

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Submitted by:
Navya Singhal
2016IPM065

What is the one thing that you do before booking a hotel, ordering food or even going out for a movie? Check your bank balance!

But we are also greeted by the stars that adorn any online platform forming a virtual galaxy. Online review is a critical evaluation that derives its authenticity from being 'of' the public.

According to a study, more than 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business and many of them trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

72% of consumers will take action only after reading a positive review while 86% of people will only buy something if it has a 4+ star rating.

This practice doesn't come without its demons.  To my disappointment and some distress, I learned about “astroturfing.” It is defined as “creating the impression of public support by paying people in the public to pretend to be supportive.”  It is the opposite of “grassroots” and is a bottom-up approach of manufacturing consent. With the increasing knowledge about manipulation of the algorithm of online sites, and people are more savvy at masking their identities. Many companies hire people from India or the Philippines to write fake reviews where reviewers reportedly create fake identities for each of their persona.

In the past, Yelp admitted to having more than quarter of submitted reviews as fake in 2013. In 2015, Amazon sued people for allegedly writing fake reviews  which in some cases boosted the sale of products to astronomical heights.

We are bombarded with so much information on a daily basis which makes us more susceptible to fall prey to our own biases. In a dystopia not far from 'Black Mirror', screens have started to rule our lives. Eliminating such elements might take time but we need to become more aware as consumers.  Raising public awareness of the problem, we can only hope to develop tools to detect astroturfers so that social media users can make informed choices and resist online social manipulation and propaganda.

Stop relying solely on these online reviews. Next time some @MrsNickJonas writes that a Salman Khan movie was the next best thing after Inception, you need to stop. Read between the lines and take these online reviews with a grain of salt.

#Don'tFallForTheStars

(P.S. Hoping for a good review on my review about reviews)

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Skyroam - 'Helping' women travel confidently - Sanchit Mehra - 2016IPM090

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Skyroam - 'Helping' women travel confidently - Sanchit Mehra - 2016IPM090

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrR2XlDn-4Y

When I searched for portable mobile hotspots in France and later on, was bombarded with ads for ‘Skyroam International Hotspot’ each time I opened up Youtube, it reminded me of the power of algorithms to show us what they think, or ‘assess’ that we want to see. The fact that I had never even used my laptop to search for these things, but rather, my phone, was an example of how these networks of algorithms work. Often, I even clicked on these advertisements and spent time on Skyroam’s website. This definitely generated economic value for the company. Through my searches, therefore, Google has collected information about my preferences, a piece of common intellect and managed to convert that into Network value and Wealth, both for itself, as well as for Skyroam potentially (Pasquinelli, pp. 3-4).

Each time I saw an advertisement for Skyroam, I was impressed by its capabilities. There was, however, one for which I had to think beyond the technological capabilities of the product.

The advertisement linked above, shows how a lady, Sam, is ‘helped’ by Skyroam to travel in Hong Kong with confidence. This advertisement, as I will try to elucidate below, is a perfect example of what enlightened sexism looks like in mass media.

The ad shows a woman, who, in many instances, looks like a typical ‘white’ lady who is out on an expedition, a solo trip to ‘discover herself’. That, at least, is what the advertisement seems to have portrayed. She is shown doing things that can be expected from an adventurous traveller – exploring via local transport, or via foot, and even enjoying her solace at a serene natural spot. This idea of blanketing what westerners like to do in ‘Non – Western’ countries itself does not gel well with me, but that is beyond the primary concern of this piece.

Having shown Sam as an ‘independent’, ‘confident’ traveller, it is then made clear that the reason she is able to travel with confidence is because of the little orange device in her hand. I do not extrapolate from the video when I say so; this fact is in plain view as the title of the video advertisement!

If this seems innocuous on its own, it won’t when compared with other advertisements for this product. ALL the other advertisements, which showcase men, focus on things such as connection, staying in touch with family, being able to push one’s boundaries, and so on. None, absolutely none of the advertisements featuring men portray the idea that the device is the reason why the protagonist has the confidence, or any other skills desired, to travel.

The idea that the same product can have different values in the lives of different demographics is not one that is problematic here, but the idea that one particular demographic derives all their inherent qualities because of their mere possession of the product, indeed is.

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Inshorts- Creating biases algorithmically -Siddharth Garg

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Inshorts- Creating biases algorithmically -Siddharth Garg

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Inshorts is a news curating app which provides news catered to you in a summary of 60 words. The app based on your preferences comes up with a pallet of new that would be suited for your interests. The algorithm which decides what is best for you considers the time you're spending on a news article, if you want to read it in detail, your geographic location and what people are reading around you. It decides what content to show and what to hide creating a filter bubble. The problem with the idea of a filter bubble in a news application is that a lot of information that might be essential to a person won't be shown because the algorithm decides it doesn't match with the individual's interest. Apart from this, by selectively showing things to the user you limit their cultural and social experiences. This goes in hand with the agenda-setting theory of media which says that media is deciding what is important enough to b shown or not, but in this case, its an algorithm and they're doing it based on your choices.
Another aspect of Inshorts is summarising news articles in 60 words. The rationale behind this was the decreasing concentration span of individuals and having small summaries of news would ensure that a person is paying attention to it. This was earlier done by editors, but now this process of summarization has been automated. So now an algorithm takes a subjective and extensively written article, decides what part of the article is essential and condenses the news for the user. Though the process is objective, it is impossible to cover all the viewpoints of a news article in 60 words and hence certain views might not be represented in those summaries. Therefore the content they will have some amount of bias associated with it.

Although the intent of Inshorts was noble- to get more people to read the news and know what's happening arounf them in the minimal amount of time possible. Its outcome is exact opposite to what any ideal news media should stand for.
https://inshorts.com/en/read/

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Ananya Agarwal
2016IPM011
Media Artefact:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR4DyCQ_rwU

‘Great Dad’ an ad released by SBI Life Insurance in January, 2015. The ad goes along very simple thought of line where they show how a dad, who is an army official, is attached to his son and thinks about different ways in which he considers himself to be a ‘Great Dad.’

The ad starts with a simple question, “Are you a great dad?’ It starts with the father waiting outside his son’s school, waiting for him to come and in the meanwhile doubting if he is a good enough father because there are several days pass by when he is not able to meet his son. But, at the same time he feels great seeing his son happy and cheerful. The father feels proud when he sees his son learning things from him. Things as small as polishing the shoes.

The ad shows this care and concern in the simplest of ways from seeing the smile on their child’s face to seeing them sleep peacefully. The impact which SBI aims to create is enhanced even further when they show the father as an army man. Everyone understands and knows the long days the army men have to live away from their family. This definitely creates a feeling of distance from the family members and these men usually fear that they will miss out on the growing years of their children which in turn might disconnect them from their fathers.

The ad clearly works along the lines of what Tony Schwartz calls as the Resonance Theory. He says that certain advertisements are made in such a manner that they are able to resonate with the experiences and information an individual in the audience already has. This resonance between the the advertisement and the audience enhances the desired effect. In the advertisement, it is simply shown how a regular army men or if we have to generalise, any dad always is worried to be the dad to which his child looks up to. And, with this, they want to take every possible way to secure their child’s in future. These are things experienced in the life of every parent. Parents always look out for their children’s happiness and security.

What the ad tries to show here is how these great dads take care of their children and family. And what protects their children even after they are not there? The answer is simple, SBI Life Insurance.

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50 Shades of Grey: The reinforcement and acceptance of Hegemonic masculinity

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50 Shades of Grey: The reinforcement and acceptance of Hegemonic masculinity

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-Shivangi Soni
This novel trilogy and its subsequent movie adaptation made sensations throughout the globe, figuratively and literally. 50 Shades of Grey, the claim to fame of author E.L. James, became famous worldwide for its explicit content and its representation of love. While I am no judge of BDSM and fetishes, one very relevant concept that is visible in its storyline is of toxic masculinity.

For those spared the imposition of this “romantic story of true love”, 50 Shades of Grey builds the relationship between a clumsy, innocent and delicate Arts major and a proud, rich and brooding multi-millionaire (he is 27, and has built his business empire by his own hard work and driven it to a turnover of billions. This itself needs sufficient debate). Only, they get to know each other through various adventurous kinds of sex, and eventually fall in love.

Problem? Mr. Christian Grey, our protagonist, walks right out of R.W. Connell’s definition of Hegemonic Masculinity. He is well built (his description may have hinted towards the number of abs), rich (and by his own hard work, not inherited), the stereotypically most admirable “man of the family”, is known to excel at sports and takes risks, and is very satisfying (in a book about sex, this had to come up *pun unintended*)

All ridicule aside, Mr. Grey excels in every trait that defines the initial stereotypical definition of masculinity that Connell offers. And the concept of the man’s exercise of control is, in fact, the point of the text. His control over the businesses throughout America, his desire to control his wife’s every decision (clothing to career), and his evident control of all those who interact with him on a daily basis, all point towards the same thing.

Critics have mentioned that 50 Shades of Grey promotes BDSM, which could be damaging to the opinions readers have on sex and intimacy. I make no comment on other people’s sexual desires; but promoting a man without visible emotions, unreal levels of success, and an unhealthy desire for control sure could damage the readers’ opinions of, well, men. That, coupled with the dainty heroine who is always saved by the man, leaves the readers stuck onto an acceptance and promotion of the toxic, binding masculinity.

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This is a part of the documentary 'Google and The World Brain' which shows us how Google wanted to transform the world of books by its highly ambitious project Ocean. There are a few experts who spoke about the project, but I found the comments of one of them as highly stereotypical. As it can be seen in the video, the expert re-states the mission of Google, but at the same time, the group of people he chooses to provide example is stereotypical. Using 'Farmer for Africa, A Mother in India & A businessman in Japan'. As mentioned in the video, Google aims to empower people with knowledge and also to break the barriers between people and the information which they need. This proves as an irony because this documentary was a great platform which they had to make people aware about the working of Google, but statements such as these from an employee actually downgrades the faith (if only it is seen critically). It is a result of what Sister Elizabeth Thoman talks about in her article as 'Absolutism'. We'll focus here on the Indian perspective of the statement, but similar arguments can be made for the remaining communities as well. If analyzed deeply, this can be considered as a slippery slope. India is seen as a 'Holy Place' and in the Hindu religion which forms the majority of the population, Mother is considered to be the holiest. Thus, it is very well expected of an Indian to generalize India with an image of the mother. Sister Elizabeth also suggests some ways to break the stereotypes. So in this case, the speaker must know that the documentary is addressing the Indian population as well, which will determine what to speak and whom to speak. Also, while making such statements, the underlying meaning should be assessed through all the perspectives, so that no part of the society takes it in a wrong way.

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Sumit Suresh
2016IPM109

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cultural-appropriation-make-it-illegal-worldwide-indigenous-advocates-say-1.4157943

In June 2017, delegates from 189 countries belonging to a unique committee within the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), asked the UN to criminalize the cultural appropriation of people across the world. With the ease of international mobility, one can say that multiple cultures are pushed to similar spaces, and it is only human nature to adapt or imitate the other. The larger question here and for the UN countries is Who Owns Culture?

Cultural Appropriation is the inappropriate, disconnected adoption of the practices, beliefs customs, etc. of one person by members of another category.

Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law as such:

‘Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g., sacred objects.’

Source: ( Cultural Appropriation: What Is It And Why Is It Problematic? (2017, June 27). Retrieved from https://feminisminindia.com/2017/06/23/cultural-appropriation-problematic/)

While the bigger picture here seems to be revolving around culture and who owns it, this piece tries to find a reason as to how the Indian culture is being consumed, by the foreigners. (non-Indians). It is imperative to understand that Cultural Misappropriation is mostly done by the dominant community, this is as a result of the power and so-called “privilege” that they have.

Cultural Appropriation is the inappropriate, disconnected adoption of the practices, beliefs customs, etc. of one person by members of another category.

This submission talks about this issue by shedding light on pop-culture and its Imitation of the India culture. The artifacts chosen are the songs Come and Get it by Selena Gomez and the Hymn for the Weekend while the songs seem to be supposedly portraying the Indian culture, somehow they adaptation appears to be way off the mark for the Indian eye.

The Selena Gomez song was shot in India and soon rose to the top of the charts, apart from the Indian rhythm and instruments, there isn’t too much about this song that is Indian. The problem with these interpretations is the lack of disconnect, between the viewer and the Indian. The ornaments that the background dancers are clad with from head to toe are a perfect example of this, in India, the expensive ornaments hold great ritualistic value (not just aesthetic) and are used only during special/auspicious occasions. The fact that the dance is around the fire is just offensive but sure, one can argue that for the cinematic value of the piece.

The second artifact I have chosen is the song by Coldplay, from the extremely colorful portrayal of the religious country that has been taken over by monks to the shot of the overly dressed shot of Beyonce in “Indian attire.” From the dingy slums, levitating holy men and children who seem to be throwing colors. It seems like the Westerners have completely misunderstood the Indian culture.
The ideas are way off, and the video in several ways idealized Indian realities of a complex nation in favor of reductive tropes intended to preserve western hegemony.

The misinterpreted concept of the bindi, to the limited understudying of the Indian culture- poverty, spirituality, and color. The list of cultural misinterpretations does not stop here, the songs by Iggy Azalea- Bounce, Lean on by Major Laser and Dj Snake and the excessive use of the bindi by western actresses are all examples of ignorance and cultural misappropriations. It's thus important to understand, Who then owns culture?

Artifacts:
1.https://youtu.be/n-D1EB74Ckg
2.https://youtu.be/YykjpeuMNEk

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Vidushi R Singh
2016IPM117

In the superman comics, journalist Clark Kent is always there, behind the scenes, mingling in the middle of the city and yet nobody ever recognizes him as Superman.

Why? He has the same height, same voice, and same body. And yet, he somehow becomes invisible the moment he takes off his Superman suit and puts on a pair of glasses. The comics describe Kent as a tall, broad figure, who walks with a slight hunch and is always soft spoken. Superman, on the other hand, in all his charismatic glory, is portrayed as a broad chested, shoulder pulled back, hands on his hips sort of a figure with a deep, commanding voice.

So, can we then say that by changing your voice and the way you stand will make anyone invisible? And this is not just something that has happened in the Western cinematic space.  In Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Shah Rukh Khan getting his moustache shaved and putting on jeans changes his whole personality and makes him unrecognizable even to his wife.

These are perfect examples of how hegemonic masculinities are developed in movies and popular media. Hegemonic masculinity is the society’s portrayal of how the ideal man should be. This is, it is most important to note, not based in reality or practicality, but instead in the aspirational space. It tells people what a man must do, what he must look like and how he must talk in order to be a man at all. There are multiple hegemonic masculinities, separated by space, by communities and by nations. This is most astonishing when it is sold to little kids and adolescents, when they are still developing a sense of self. The frivolous nature of Raj and his constant flirting are then sold as what a man does. On the other hand, Surinder’s thoughtful behavior makes him less of a man.

In both Surinder and Kent’s case, the formal way of dressing, the soft voice and the lack of unfaltering self-confidence makes them less desirable than their counterparts.

Superman and Raj, however, ooze self-assurance and a save-the-world complex, which presents itself in the form of Superman fighting villains and Raj teaching Tani how to live her life. The background music and flashy entries only add to the appeal.

More importantly, how does that impact any of us at all? It does. It tells young boys and men that being respectful and soft-spoken is not what a man does. That you must dress in tightly fitted clothes to even deserve the main heroine’s attention and only by ignoring what she’s saying can you make her fall in love with you, because of course, you know what is best for her.

This leads to a social breakdown, which means that, since an individual’s sense of self and his ability to mediate between the self and the society are functions of socially developed forms of ideality and perfection, so any dissonance between the perceived self and social ideal leads to a breakdown of core values and principles, thus leading the individual to behave in ways that he perceives to be in line with the social ideal. This is, in fact, the reason for the development of hyper-masculinities in societies that have a very strongly defined idea of hegemonic masculinity.

And so, with the lack of criticality that we watch them with, Raj’s arrogance remains desirable, Superman’s mysteriousness remains untiring, women remain damsels waiting for the distress that would lead them to their hero and “real men” continue to be a fable being constantly chased.

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Enlightened Sexism in Advertisements- Aishwaria Goyal

Enlightened Sexism! Sounds weird or even funny to hear at first right? But in reality, it is scarier than sexism itself. In simple words, sexism shows one sex to be below another while Enlightened Sexism shows one sex to be below another by exaggerating its achievements. Confusing?

Let’s take an example:

In this advertisement Anushka is trying on clothes and each time she gets out of the changing room she asks her boyfriend to validate her look in the different outfits. When on one hand each time she comes out in a new outfit she seems happy with it, the guy seems to be disapproving of her choices. Now this may not seem bad to the viewer of the advertisement as it’s not necessary that the guy has to like the dresses that Anushka likes which is fair. But Then she comes out in a backless and sleeveless dress and the guy seems pleasantly surprised by how beautiful she is all on a sudden. This clearly shows that in order to gain attention and time from the guy she had to flaunt her “perfect” and smooth( from the lotion)body. This is also supposed to show that in order for women to be seen as equal to men, worthy of a man’s time, she needs her sexual power. Once she has that, she is suddenly put on a pedestal where the guy respects her and treats her right as if he genuinely believes that she is no less than him in any manner. The girl on the other hand is happy to feel loved and empowered by just compromising with “a little objectification”.

Enlightened Sexism here exaggerated Anushka’s gains as a woman and rendered the idea of feminism obsolete in the sense that once she has gotten him drooling over herself by showing off her back, she no longer needs to worry about being ignored or treated unequally and as unworthy of his time. Enlightened sexism has thus managed to keep her at “her place” as subordinate to the man.

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NIVEA India -- Anushka Sharma Ad for Whitening Cell Repair Body Lotion

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Source: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1057728445386539008
Partipulation, or participating in one’s manipulation is a theory coined by Tony Schwartz. It is described as a method in which we can get the viewer to be more engaged with content if they are made as participants in their own manipulation. As Sut Jhally said, “Stereotypes, common societal beliefs, rumors – they all sell. Hollywood exploits these aspects of society and manipulates, or exerts power over, its audience whom these stereotypes and such apply to.”

However, such power is not just in the hands of Hollywood. People in positions of prominence hold this power. Politicians hold this power. The American President holds this power. In his recent ad campaign during the American mid-term elections, Donald Trump’s campaign team created an ad about the migrant caravan which is moving towards the southern border of America.

In that clip, there is a Mexican illegal immigrant who is a cop-killer, and is boasting about his “achievements” during a court hearing. This person is used as a representative any and all illegal immigrants, primarily of Hispanic origin. There is a huge banner up top, saying that this, visibly Hispanic individual, “Illegal Immigrant, Luis Bracamontes, KILLED OUR PEOPLE!” With dramatic background music, of the type which evokes imagery of an impending fight, there comes on more text saying “Democrats let him into our country” , “Democrats let him Stay.” There are more scenes of what is supposedly the migrant caravan, showing instances of violence. A man says that he would like to be pardoned for his attempt to murder. Then there comes another looming question, backed by more ominous music: “Who else would the democrats let in?” “President Donald J. Trump and Republicans are MAKING AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!”

The video has got 6.74 million views and has about 98,000 likes. This is a rather large number of likes, even for a Trump post. This means that this message is something which a lot of people seems to agree with. This video attempts to depict the living hell that would follow if America allowed undocumented immigrants to come in, despite there being no statistics to prove this statement. The visuals of impending doom, backed by equally intimidating music nudges the audience to think about the consequences of undocumented immigration in the way Trump wants the viewers to think about it. While any thinking individual with a moderate amount of knowledge about the situation of immigrants would consider this clip to be bunk. However, someone who was aggrieved by migrants, like white, blue-collar workers. The people living in that region, the ones who care about their lost jobs and culture and a sense of integration, would be quick to latch on to this as a convenient explanation of their situation. The effective idea, of national security is an image in which he places the idea of illegal immigration, which would play the safety concerns of the viewers. Thus, they would conclude to themselves that this exclusion of migrants is essential for maintenance of law and order. And given that the democrats were the ones enabling this, they need to be kept out of power in order to maintain security.

Such emotions are played upon when the Trump campaign manipulates people based on the premise of fear.

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Mediatised terror : Terror in the Age of Media Explosion- Shashwat Kotambkar

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Mediatised terror : Terror in the Age of Media Explosion- Shashwat Kotambkar

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The article mediatised terror : terror in the age of media explosion deals majorly with understanding the accusations and the perception of duties imposed on the media. It sites the example of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and The Hotel Taj, Nariman point and CST and how the media had influence on the whole nation as a consequence of the attacks. It says that media has been accused to be disabling instrument and that it played a very negative role by inflicting a sense of fear among the citizen of the nation and actually in a way helped in the terrorists’ strategy of “propaganda by deed” to come true.

Media is often perceived to have to maintain objectivity and is often criticised in its failure to do so. It is often said that the objectivity is only brought to the for when media legitimacy is at question and credibility is stake. But a question here arises, does media always need to be objective? There is this concept of Experiential journalism which has come to the fore which can be termed as the distant younger cousin of the ‘new journalism movement  of the USA in 1970s.

Bourdieu intelligently contends, there exists a homology between the class of producers and purchasers in the field of social generation. With numerous performing artists in the news field, there is exceptional market segmentation, and the decision of group of onlookers is regularly sponsored with the decision of appropriate news makers who could take into account them. In addition, "...part of what hinder mines the talk of the news is the way the news-producers themselves act inside the imperatives, weights, structures and standards that bring the bigger universe of social relations to tolerate on their work" (Hartley 1982: 47). Homology between the news stays and the quick reference gathering and furthermore the casualties of dread wound up clear when a TV news grapple and columnist, with regards to herself even with mounting feedback, said she got a considerable measure of appreciation (additionally) from "the better known ones" like Narayana Murthy, Salman Rushdie, Shashi Tharoor and Sunil Khilnani - incidentally uncovering her reference gathering, those individuals who shape her concept of journalistic perfection.

In any case, to figure a suitable state - drove media the executives plan, it is imperative to perceive columnists as political on-screen characters furthermore, news coverage as a political foundation (Cook 1998, 2005). Pakistan's persuasive English paper Dawn, Britain's Observer daily paper and the British Broadcasting Partnership had before announced that Ajmal Qasab had a place with Faridkot after chasing down his dad Amir Qasab. This is a straightforward example of giving urgent data that could significantly influence political choices. On the other hand, board dialogs on TV channels continued discussing the alternatives that India should work out, regardless of whether political or then again military, regularly urging the oversee ment to take a hard line. It is just by recognizing columnists as political performers and not tolerating journalistic cases of being unbiased eyewitnesses at their face esteem, that the media institution could be incorporated into genuine platesions of catastrophe the executives

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Submitted by:
Shiv Narayan
2015IPM098
Last Diwali was the first time when I didn't get to celebrate my favourite festival at home. The day which would generally start with an ethnic getup and a rushed distribution of sweets and gift to friends and family started off being just another day at Planet-i this time, where I sat with breakfast in the mess. What I then stumbled upon over the news channel was interesting.
What used to be or could be Diwali special shows are now Modi Ji's special coverages "Live from Kedarnath." PM Narendra Modi arrived in Kedarnath to offer prayers at the holy shrine. After offering prayers at Lord Shiva's shrine the PM also went ahead to celebrate Diwali with the soldiers situated near the area. While doing this, where other any other PM would only have managed to make it news daily special, Modi Ji's ever so dynamic and potent personality creates a whole new version of live coverages on numerous news channels. So what went down when the prime minister of the country offered sweets to the army personnel in the service of "Mother India." Just like every other coverage of PM Modi, this one was just another copy of his "noble actions." Not to mention how his trip to the Kedarnath Temple, which is also considered to be one of the paramount Hindu shrines was displaying a big "उम नमः शिवय" the whole time while the live telecast was taking place. As rightly pointed out by Sanjay Srivastav, 'transformations in the Indian media landscapes over the past two decades constitute the most significant context for the transmission, circulation, and reception of local and global masculine identities.' The deployment of the "traditional" notions of masculinity which are being used by the media houses to cater to the electoral strategies and political interests have come to form what is the most prominent masculine identity of our times. Therefore, what we term as Modi masculinity, today stands at the juncture of more and more consumerist aspirations by millions of citizen-consumers who form their basis for a shared sense of gender identity. The problem which lies with such strong juxtapositioning of religious phrases or symbols with the idea of the ideal male who would lead the nation to "better days" is the outright yet, subtle exclusion of the males who identify with other religious orientations. To further question our secular ideals, where is it that men of the country come together to form a shared sense of gender identity as the citizens of this country. In most of the cases that I have come to notice in the past 20 years of my life is either over 'chai'(which also has been captured into the political domain very cleverly by "Chai pe Charcha") or in the roadside debate over politics that men of this country often engage in. But what has changed now is the content that is often talked about by men when they talk politics. Earlier some men would complain, and some to support the government would explain. But now, most men being pro-Modi, declaim, while the ones who disagree simply, refrain.
By being poetic here what I essentially seek to argue is that trough this uncontested portrayal of PM Modi media houses foster a culture of moral consumption of the discriminatory and extremist Hindu social structures and set criteria for a specific type of features as being desirable for one to be called a nationalist. The problem doesn't lie with what PM Modi does but it lies in the ways in which the media houses portray these activities. With most channels sensationalizing his every move in very positive if not religious(for the lack of a politically correct word) there are none which go ahead and question him ever. The media houses which are not aligned with his political ideologies at max refrain from commenting on his actions in a negative way. What this does essestially to the minds of the citizens consumer is that PM Modi is portrayed in a God like image. Now, besides the risk of the nation falling into totalitarian tendencies we as media studies students and as the citizens of a democratic country must question the functioning of the media which now fails to point a single finger at the man who was once held responsible for aggravating one of the worst communal riots which this country has seen. It will only come through a sustained analysis of the media which is being fed to the masses at large on a daily bases.
Video References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__gEGtFvhsI

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Mercedes Benz Service-Close to your Heart Commercial

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Mercedes Benz Service-Close to your Heart Commercial

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by Siddharth Garg (2016IPM102)

The commercial starts with an artisan making a watch. It is followed by a designer working on a new outfit. The advertisement then shows a person refining a diamond and finally a tailor helping out a kid. In this commercial, they are not directly showing their product or their service. Instead, they want to the viewer to focus on certain values. Everyone looks up to a person who is passionate about what he or she does. It's something that everyone desires and associates with positively. Whether it was the person cutting the diamond, or the designer, or the artisan, they all seem to be good at their work, and the occupation is close to their heart. The part where the kid goes to the tailor again focuses on a quality of compassion. Mercedes wants these socially desirable characteristics to be associated with their service. This borrows from the ideas of Sut Jhally's concept of partipulation. All these qualities are associated with the service Mercedes provides
The jobs that they chose for the commercial also have a role to play. The watchmaker for example also associates punctuality with their service. The designer signifies that their service is there to suit your need. They've compared their products to diamonds, and hence, the diamond cutting is analogous to them servicing their car. Finally, they want to show that they care for you no matter how big or small the problem is. The scene at the tailor does this very well. The ad wraps up with a man servicing the car and using commonality with all the previous scenes signifying the love they have for Mercedes.
The advertisement is a great example of Sut Jhally's idea of modern advertisements where we move away from showing the good to showing the values associated with using that good. They don't mention anything about their service but the show the passion people providing the good have.

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Mercedes Benz Service Close to your Heart Commercial

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Mercedes Benz Service-Close to your Heart CommercialThe commercial starts with an artisan making a watch. It is followed by a designer working on a new outfit. The advertisement then shows a person refining a diamond and finally a tailor helping out a kid. In this commercial, they are not directly showing their product or their service. Instead, they want to the viewer to focus on certain values. Everyone looks up to a person who is passionate about what he or she does. It's something that everyone desires and associates with positively. Whether it was the person cutting the diamond, or the designer, or the artisan, they all seem to be good at their work, and the occupation is close to their heart. The part where the kid goes to the tailor again focuses on a quality of compassion. Mercedes wants these socially desirable characteristics to be associated with their service. This borrows from the ideas of Sut Jhally's concept of partipulation. All these qualities are associated with the service Mercedes providesThe jobs that they chose for the commercial also have a role to play. The watchmaker for example also associates punctuality with their service. The designer signifies that their service is there to suit your need. They've compared their products to diamonds, and hence, the diamond cutting is analogous to them servicing their car. Finally, they want to show that they care for you no matter how big or small the problem is. The scene at the tailor does this very well. The ad wraps up with a man servicing the car and using commonality with all the previous scenes signifying the love they have for Mercedes.The advertisement is a great example of Sut Jhally's idea of modern advertisements where we move away from showing the good to showing the values associated with using that good. They don't mention anything about their service but the show the passion people providing the good have. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzxiM8oxI8I

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Mercedes Benz Service-Close to your Heart CommercialThe commercial starts with an artisan making a watch. It is followed by a designer working on a new outfit. The advertisement then shows a person refining a diamond and finally a tailor helping out a kid. In this commercial, they are not directly showing their product or their service. Instead, they want to the viewer to focus on certain values. Everyone looks up to a person who is passionate about what he or she does. It's something that everyone desires and associates with positively. Whether it was the person cutting the diamond, or the designer, or the artisan, they all seem to be good at their work, and the occupation is close to their heart. The part where the kid goes to the tailor again focuses on a quality of compassion. Mercedes wants these socially desirable characteristics to be associated with their service. This borrows from the ideas of Sut Jhally's concept of partipulation. All these qualities are associated with the service Mercedes providesThe jobs that they chose for the commercial also have a role to play. The watchmaker for example also associates punctuality with their service. The designer signifies that their service is there to suit your need. They've compared their products to diamonds, and hence, the diamond cutting is analogous to them servicing their car. Finally, they want to show that they care for you no matter how big or small the problem is. The scene at the tailor does this very well. The ad wraps up with a man servicing the car and using commonality with all the previous scenes signifying the love they have for Mercedes.The advertisement is a great example of Sut Jhally's idea of modern advertisements where we move away from showing the good to showing the values associated with using that good. They don't mention anything about their service but the show the passion people providing the good have. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzxiM8oxI8I

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Mercedes Benz Service-Close to your Heart CommercialThe commercial starts with an artisan making a watch. It is followed by a designer working on a new outfit. The advertisement then shows a person refining a diamond and finally a tailor helping out a kid. In this commercial, they are not directly showing their product or their service. Instead, they want to the viewer to focus on certain values. Everyone looks up to a person who is passionate about what he or she does. It's something that everyone desires and associates with positively. Whether it was the person cutting the diamond, or the designer, or the artisan, they all seem to be good at their work, and the occupation is close to their heart. The part where the kid goes to the tailor again focuses on a quality of compassion. Mercedes wants these socially desirable characteristics to be associated with their service. This borrows from the ideas of Sut Jhally's concept of partipulation. All these qualities are associated with the service Mercedes providesThe jobs that they chose for the commercial also have a role to play. The watchmaker for example also associates punctuality with their service. The designer signifies that their service is there to suit your need. They've compared their products to diamonds, and hence, the diamond cutting is analogous to them servicing their car. Finally, they want to show that they care for you no matter how big or small the problem is. The scene at the tailor does this very well. The ad wraps up with a man servicing the car and using commonality with all the previous scenes signifying the love they have for Mercedes.The advertisement is a great example of Sut Jhally's idea of modern advertisements where we move away from showing the good to showing the values associated with using that good. They don't mention anything about their service but the show the passion people providing the good have. Linkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzxiM8oxI8I

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Mercedes Benz Service-Close to your Heart CommercialThe commercial starts with an artisan making a watch. It is followed by a designer working on a new outfit. The advertisement then shows a person refining a diamond and finally a tailor helping out a kid. In this commercial, they are not directly showing their product or their service. Instead, they want to the viewer to focus on certain values. Everyone looks up to a person who is passionate about what he or she does. It's something that everyone desires and associates with positively. Whether it was the person cutting the diamond, or the designer, or the artisan, they all seem to be good at their work, and the occupation is close to their heart. The part where the kid goes to the tailor again focuses on a quality of compassion. Mercedes wants these socially desirable characteristics to be associated with their service. This borrows from the ideas of Sut Jhally's concept of partipulation. All these qualities are associated with the service Mercedes providesThe jobs that they chose for the commercial also have a role to play. The watchmaker for example also associates punctuality with their service. The designer signifies that their service is there to suit your need. They've compared their products to diamonds, and hence, the diamond cutting is analogous to them servicing their car. Finally, they want to show that they care for you no matter how big or small the problem is. The scene at the tailor does this very well. The ad wraps up with a man servicing the car and using commonality with all the previous scenes signifying the love they have for Mercedes.The advertisement is a great example of Sut Jhally's idea of modern advertisements where we move away from showing the good to showing the values associated with using that good. They don't mention anything about their service but the show the passion people providing the good have. Linkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzxiM8oxI8I

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Mercedes Benz Service-Close to your Heart CommercialThe commercial starts with an artisan making a watch. It is followed by a designer working on a new outfit. The advertisement then shows a person refining a diamond and finally a tailor helping out a kid. In this commercial, they are not directly showing their product or their service. Instead, they want to the viewer to focus on certain values. Everyone looks up to a person who is passionate about what he or she does. It's something that everyone desires and associates with positively. Whether it was the person cutting the diamond, or the designer, or the artisan, they all seem to be good at their work, and the occupation is close to their heart. The part where the kid goes to the tailor again focuses on a quality of compassion. Mercedes wants these socially desirable characteristics to be associated with their service. This borrows from the ideas of Sut Jhally's concept of partipulation. All these qualities are associated with the service Mercedes providesThe jobs that they chose for the commercial also have a role to play. The watchmaker for example also associates punctuality with their service. The designer signifies that their service is there to suit your need. They've compared their products to diamonds, and hence, the diamond cutting is analogous to them servicing their car. Finally, they want to show that they care for you no matter how big or small the problem is. The scene at the tailor does this very well. The ad wraps up with a man servicing the car and using commonality with all the previous scenes signifying the love they have for Mercedes.The advertisement is a great example of Sut Jhally's idea of modern advertisements where we move away from showing the good to showing the values associated with using that good. They don't mention anything about their service but the show the passion people providing the good have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzxiM8oxI8I

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Mercedes Benz Service-Close to your Heart CommercialThe commercial starts with an artisan making a watch. It is followed by a designer working on a new outfit. The advertisement then shows a person refining a diamond and finally a tailor helping out a kid. In this commercial, they are not directly showing their product or their service. Instead, they want to the viewer to focus on certain values. Everyone looks up to a person who is passionate about what he or she does. It's something that everyone desires and associates with positively. Whether it was the person cutting the diamond, or the designer, or the artisan, they all seem to be good at their work, and the occupation is close to their heart. The part where the kid goes to the tailor again focuses on a quality of compassion. Mercedes wants these socially desirable characteristics to be associated with their service. This borrows from the ideas of Sut Jhally's concept of partipulation. All these qualities are associated with the service Mercedes providesThe jobs that they chose for the commercial also have a role to play. The watchmaker for example also associates punctuality with their service. The designer signifies that their service is there to suit your need. They've compared their products to diamonds, and hence, the diamond cutting is analogous to them servicing their car. Finally, they want to show that they care for you no matter how big or small the problem is. The scene at the tailor does this very well. The ad wraps up with a man servicing the car and using commonality with all the previous scenes signifying the love they have for Mercedes.The advertisement is a great example of Sut Jhally's idea of modern advertisements where we move away from showing the good to showing the values associated with using that good. They don't mention anything about their service but the show the passion people providing the good have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzxiM8oxI8I

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Hegemonic Masculinity in Media(Thums Up Ad) 

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Hegemonic Masculinity in Media(Thums Up Ad) 

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APRATIP CHAKRABORTY
2016IPM021

Hegemonic masculinity is a continuously evolving concept existing in media artifacts of present times which justify all men to be in a position of domination over women.
Advertisers play on existing insecurities or create new ones to sell us their client’s stuff. In a way, they position their client’s products as the solution men need for their problems. From Trujillo's expanded definition of hegemonic masculinity in the article "Hegemonic Masculinity in media contents" by Peter J. Kareithi, we can infer that when targeting men, advertisers generally focus on two main insecurities- First, heterosexual male interaction with women; primarily fears of being unable to attract individuals of the opposite gender, and Second, social pressures on men to act “masculine.”
This article analyzes the very famous "Thumbs Up" ads in the process of contextualizing this concept in the Indian scenario.

Many of us have seen Salman Khan or Akshay Kumar in these commercials taking a swig of Thums Up and then perfectly executing a challenging (and pretty much unnecessary) action sequence. Nowhere does it mention the specialties or advertise the characteristics of their drink. It is all about the portrayal of this drink to be "manly." This is hegemonistic masculinity at its best being proudly put to light by a brand of such a high stature, further promulgating the age-old patriarchal traditions and providing fresh fuel to the male chauvinists and subconsciously appealing to them to buy the drink. It is almost as if the ad screeches out, "Buy this drink if you are a man!". We are drinking an aerated drink, not being bitten by a radioactive spider.
And even if this was about juicing up on adrenaline, all of us notice how wild antics and stunts only become “unrealistic” the minute we think about women doing them. "Thus, men have developed muscles not for their usefulness, but for their representation of masculinity.", says Peter J. Kareithi. “Defying Gravity” may have been sung by two women, but it’s only men who get to do it. Peter J. Kareithi also mentions, "But for many young males, what these images are really selling them is a certain vision of masculinity- adventurous, aggressive, and violent-  that provides men of all classes a standard of real manhood against which to judge themselves."

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Thums Up Ad | Main Hoon Toofani- Salman Khan

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Embedded Feminism and Enlightened Sexism!

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Embedded Feminism and Enlightened Sexism!

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~By Sumit Choudhary
(2016IPM108)

Susan J. Douglas in her article “The rise of Enlightened Sexism” talked about an emerging practice of embedded feminism and enlightened sexism that have started existing as a part of our media culture these days. Media artefacts today subtly try to reinforce the typical stereotypes and assumptions about women, that had been criticised by the world in the fight for feminism. The movement started with the idea of making women free of the ties of a patriarchal society and giving them an equal status and power in all aspects of life, just like men have been enjoying all throughout history. Susan is trying to make the readers realise how media today tries to put forward the message that women’s liberalisation and the establishment of power, success and equality are a ‘fait accompli’. She tries to bring forward the fact that today new fantasies of power are injected in women through media, that assure the girls and women, repeatedly, that they are stronger, more successful, more sexually in control, more fearless, and more held in awe than they actually are. When on one end these fantasies of power make women believe that anyone can become a CEO or achieve equal parity with men, a lot of these fantasies also make them believe that purchasing power and sexual power are more gratifying than economic or political power. The ability to buy a lot and engage in constant expensive shopping makes them look more independent and empowered. Although as she pointed out correctly, different fantasies of power are sold to different age groups through various advertisements.

The concept of Enlightened sexism in the words of Susan ‘insists that women have made plenty of progress due to feminism and everything that was supposed to be achieved through feminism has been achieved, so now its okay to resurrect the sexist stereotypes of women’.  Moreover, she says that it is actually a choice the women make by focusing on things like their attire, face, skin colour, breast size in order to gain and enjoy power, power that will not only make men want them but also embrace them, along with all they have achieved.

The artefact I have chosen is an advertisement that was published on the Best Ads YouTube Channel on 3rd September 2015. The advertisement begins with a woman appearing on screen, well-dressed and having a royal look. She looks into her fridge for milk and finds that there isn’t any. The first point to notice in the advertisement is how the woman in the picture, who is a mother is displayed; a tight outfit, royal ornaments and a big house, giving us the imagery of a woman who is well off in today’s time. Unable to find any milk in her fridge, the woman drives off her car, ‘on her own’ during the night to find milk. She leaves her house, all alone, and goes to a shop named ‘Village Market’. Unable to find milk there, she leaves in the rain, and she is shown wearing heels in the night while searching for milk, by driving to places. Another point to make a note of, the kind of image the advertisement is trying to place, of a woman, who regardless of what time of the day it is, should be dressed in a one-piece with heels to look ‘sexy’. Regardless of what role she plays in life, whether of a single grown up woman, or a mother or an employee, whatever be her character, a woman dresses up perfectly. As the advertisement continues, the woman goes to the extent of going to a cow in the middle of the night to get milk, she is fearless ad strong today indeed! But having failed there as well, she is seen chasing a milk-truck in the morning, shouting with a dead face, asking the truck to stop and finally she gets a big-can of milk for herself and her daughter. In the end, she is shown all exhausted in the morning along with her daughter who is ready for her breakfast and finds the cereal box to be empty, and the mother (who is alone, since at no point was her husband shown) is worried that she will have to get cereals for her daughter now and accidentally in trying to hold the box, spills the milk, and is frustrated by the fact that she will have to ‘clean the mess’ herself now.

I would like to discuss what the advertisement tried to quite hilariously display; the stereotype of women doing the household work, taking care of their children and going to extreme lengths for getting things done at home. They live today an independent and high-status life but are equally embedded in the kind of lives that a typical housewife lives. This stereotype has been prevailing and was fought strongly under the feminist movement, but just as Susan rightly pointed out in her article, media has got us all to believe that women have achieved all they could through feminism, ‘all is won’ for them and hence now, it’s okay to bring back the very stereotypes that were fought against, back into the lives as their choice and not someone’s dominance, through such funny-sexist advertisements. They are trying to sell this to the young-mothers, that even at late night wearing a tight-slim one piece is what represents them.  Wearing heels and looking after their kids is what represents them. Thus, where in one place, the advertisement establishes the fact that women are independent and strong today, they themselves make the decisions of practicing the very sexist ideologies they were fighting against with the rise of the feminist lady. And as Susan puts it embedded feminism and enlightened sexism reinforce each other, women today are caught up in these ‘powerful cross currents’ and are compelled to strike a bargain. They can achieve everything in life but along with that they have to obsess over their face, clothing, breasts, clothing brand, calibrated child rearing and pleasing men and being envied by other women. When on one hand embedded feminism allows women to live the power, enlightened sexism pulls them back in to being the stereotypical woman, that follows the ideals set by a patriarchy society about a perfect women, and we all as consumers of such advertisements, laugh with the way this grim mentality is put forward, not realising that we are letting these stereotypes creep in again, just because now they are put forward in a funny manner.

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Salma Hayek Funny Commercial got milk creative ad

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PRERNA GAUR
2016IPM079

Are you familiar with the Axe effect? The Axe brand of deodorants and male grooming products is from Unilever and is primarily targeted at 15- to 25-year old males. It is also infamous for its super-sexist advertisements. Their website once featured a naughty-to-nice fake news report that showed nice girls becoming nasty and if you wished, you could also report a naughty girl. The company created a mouse pad to launch their website that was a skirt. You have to place your hand under a skirt to use it.

Women have come a long, long way. They have risen up to be much stronger and independent than the yest years. However, the advertisements like the Axe effect only show how the capabilities of women have been dragged down to only the inside-the-skirt aspect. The way in which women show their strength in these ads is only through their sexuality and because of the concept of consumerism.

Unilever, the company that makes Axe, has a history of advertising the product line with commercials that depict women in a questionable manner. One past ad showed a man showering after what appeared to be a one night stand with a woman and instructed men to use the product to "scrub away the skank." In October 2011 another Axe ad showed female angels giving up divinity for a man who smelled good. The ad was banned in South Africa.

The ad campaign is a favorite target for those who fight for equal rights for woman in advertising. Since 2003, Axe advertisements have portrayed various ways the products supposedly helped men attract women. Whether they are print advertisements or TV commercials, they always have the same message, “sex sells, we sell sex, buy Axe, you get women."

Recently Axe launched a woman’s fragrance. Of Axe’s 2.3 million “likes” on Facebook, ¼ are by women, according to Barret Roberts, the senior brand manager at Axe. The new scent, Anarchy, is being marketed in different versions for men and women. As its name portends, a new commercial depicts a scene of mayhem, with a chain of events including a car pileup. During the spot, strangers lock eyes and, oblivious to the commotion, walk hungrily toward one another, then freeze at about an arm’s length, nostrils flaring and chests heaving, not breaking the sexual tension with contact. Pitching sex appeal has made Axe a major force in young men's body sprays, deodorants, and soaps. Axe dominates the men’s body spray category, with a 74% share of the market.

The latest Axe campaign has drawn a lot of heat. The spot for Axe men's hair product entitled “Office Love” features two main characters: a full (male) head of hair on tiny legs and a headless set of breasts, also with its own pair of legs. The two eyeless creatures "stare" longingly at each other across the office, share an elevator ride, almost sit next to each other at lunch and finally morph into full-fledged human beings at the bus stop after work.

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Article:”What’s wrong with a little objectification” - Dr. Sut Jhally
"If the critique does not recognise this attraction then the attack on advertising
becomes an attack on people"
At the surface, this advertisement is the epitome of objectification of the traditional
male archetype. We objectively acknowledge the attractiveness of the advertisement
campaign to both the sexes as evidenced by the strong comeback of Old Spice in the
market as well as the Primetime Emmy Award. Majority of the students enrolled in
Media Literacy found this advertisement to be inappropriate because of the unabashed
objectification.
"While there is nothing wrong with a little objectification, there is a great deal
wrong and dangerous with a lot of objectification-that is when one is viewed as
nothing other than an object."
The danger of objectification and fragmentation depends on the context, and I would
like to argue that the campaign has successfully captured the playful moment of
objectification in a sexual encounter and is hence largely harmless. In my opinion, the
beauty of this advertisement lies in the way it has positioned itself to reach out to a
gender the product was not meant for. It does not take itself seriously and in actuality
is a jab at how the society envisions a perfect man to execute every difficult
stereotypical job with extreme ease.
"A critique of advertising has to start by giving people permission to recognise
the pleasure, the strength, of the images of advertising, of where that power
rests."
The absurdly high expectation set by the advertisement for the male audience to satisfy
their female counterparts screams sarcasm and the product placement as the solution is
no less than hilarious.
In my opinion, the success of this advertisement is a result of a little(and safe)
Objectification along with a healthy dose of humour.
Upam Patra
2016IPM115

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Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

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Sumit Suresh
2016IPM109
Media Artefact:

https://youtu.be/fp5gMPhwbGQ

Apart from the mind-numbing acting, the ad has gotten everything wrong, from the portrayal of the “ideal” mother, to the absurd link between the product and the advertisement itself. All in all, the entire consumable itself is hard to digest. The fact that the video has featured in several compilations of the “Most emotional ads that show mothers love”, coupled with fact that the video has over 2 million views is worrisome as one can see the kind of ads that get traction among the viewership are such.

The ad starts of with the first few scenes depicting the supermom performing her “role” single handedly ensuring that her son who is shown watching the TV with his (muted) father eats his food and goes to bed. A fraction of a second later the eldest of the three, a teenage girl is shown walking out with her high heels to a party. The mother, like every other Indian mother stops the girl to ask her where she was headed to so late at night. The girl just shrugs the concern of her mother and walks out with the attitude of Poo, from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. The ad depicts the “supermom” pestering everyone to finish their morning routine and treating the husband as just another bystander or just another offspring. Throughout the ad the father is muted and does not say a word even when her, the father’s reactions are constrained to the occasional eyebrow raising or the sympathetic hug to his wife when the children are annoyed with their overbearing mother.

The fact that the house is a chaos when the mother goes away shows that the household is dependent solely on the mother. The younger kids are seen saying things like “Yeh mummy jaise kyun kar rahi hai” or “Don’t mother me okay” - these lines bring out the main essence of the ad as they point out the stereotypical role that the society has created depicting the mother.

Media through television, advertisements, posters etc., has for time immemorial portrayed women in a problematic manner.  Soap operas and advertisements are consumed by huge masses in our country, and these ads invariably demand and portray a slim, fair-skinned woman with a pretty face who looks radiant through all her chores. And like most other ads this is no exception.  Television is only a point in the entire space of misogyny and sexism that is our entertainment industry. These ads affect the minds of the larger masses who unlike us have not taken the Media literacy course. These ads about food products, soaps, healthcare products showcase a traditional role a woman is expected to play – that is of a homemaker and a child bearer. This often extents to the woman who washes clothes, utensils, cooks, ensures that everything is right for her husband (who in 99% of the ads is muted and most often unable to find his tie or keys) and her children.

The Indian advertising industry is a structure built around the concept of sexism. The ad itself shows the abstract of the perfect mother and the perfect family. This idea of Enlightened Sexism entails in it the acceptance of the usually unacceptable. While we have began raising our voices against sexism and the unfair treatment based on gender the Indian broadcasting system and Indian media in general, continues to lean back greatly on the concept stereotyping.

As if this were not enough, the fact that the ad has no relation to the brand, the product or the audience it caters to is just another reason to question the existence of it.

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By: Aarjav Sethi
(2016IPM002)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhZnnsTBYA4

This is the video of Miley Cyrus performance with Robin Thicke on his hit Blurred Lines at the 2013 MTV VMAs. The highlight of the performance was the “twerking”, which made headlines all over the world. The entire dance performance consisted of Miley “seductively” dancing around Robin Thicke. Her performance, along with her attire came under criticism in wide spread media. This however is being seen as an attack on the freedom of expression. This falls under the classic case of what Susan J. Douglas coins “enlightened sexism”.  The current brand of sexism is more subtle and therefore stays under the radar. It has been portrayed that women’s war of equality has been won, and the demand of women being   “slim, hot and sexy” is “their choice” and not a societal construct. The performance of Miley Cyrus was in all ways “her choice” and had nothing to do with the hyper-feminine ideal of hotness and beauty. Let’s forget about the performance itself and focus on the lyrics of the songs. The lyrics which say “I know you want it..you’re a good girl” and stretching the boundaries by “blurring the lines” between what is consensual and non consensual is enlightened feminism in the purest form. A part of the performance that was seen as funny while addressing the stereotype of “black girl with huge bottoms” is cringe-worthy to say at the least but still acceptable because “it’s just a gag”. The dance move “twerking”, which has been “trendified” by the pop culture, is just another example of the enlightened sexism. The biggest threat about enlightened sexism is that it is easy to be taken as a joke, and you’re called “too uptight” if you complain about it. The video, while controversial was vigorously defended by a lot of “intellectuals” who claimed that it was just a performance of two consenting adults and there is nothing wrong with it. What needs to be talked about is the blurring lines between reinforcement of  the distortions in representation of women and falling prey to the pop culture milieu.

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Miley Cyrus Performance icônica VMA 2013

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By: Pratyush Dubey
(2016IPM078)

How well do certain media platforms such as Youtube resemble the most talked about topics in today’s time? Some features of Youtube such as the videos shown on one’s home page are personalized but on the contrary the trending list signifies or reflects what the majority of the viewers are watching. As we see on the trending list dated November 27, 2018,  there are music videos, movie trailers, and most importantly ‘Bigg Boss eviction’ which has appeared twice in the top 10. The argument here is that whether this trending list will shape the view of the consumers or does it reflect the actual content which one wants to see. News channels on the other hand have topics such as 26/11 terrors, US-India trade relations, NASA, Ram Temple issue, etc (Source: The Hindu). The two lists are drastically in contrast to each other. As argued by Noam Chomsky, today’s consumer is influenced by major politically elite groups (Manufactured Consent) who own news channels visited by the majority, this trending list poses a similar view as it suggests that the consumer himself is influencing the consumption patterns of other individuals. Hence, this raises a question on our free will. The ‘Real Men’ which usually refers to the PR industry leaders, Public intellectuals and the academic stream, in this artifact are the consumers themselves. This can also be related to Chomsky’s assertion that media Directs & Diverts the consumers from important issues such as Elections, Regulations, etc. A consumer should be made aware about such practices and of the algorithms which media platforms such as Youtube, use to generate the content.

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By: Rohit Sonker (2016IPM086)

The aforementioned advertisement, of MTS India “ Born for Internet” was one of the most viewed advertisements in India at one point of time, and on closer inspection it isn’t exactly surprising, it works on basic principle of consumerism , but we will get to that later.

The ad basically demonstrates an imminent biological drive of a baby to get connected to net as soon as it is born, and while doing so learns, on the net, so as to how to cut his umbilical cord, an instagram live video with the doctor, selfies with nurse and various other stuff, looking for his way on the map. Now the two most important question right here is why did MTS go for such an ad and how was it able to click with the Indian audience so beautifully.

Firstly, the MTS side, they wanted to portray themselves as the fastest 24*7 internet, something that is very addicting, something whose endless opportunities entices you to go for it the moment you are born, something you can even depend on for the crucial moment so much as to cutting umbilical cords but while doing so it also satirizes our dependence on the technology, so much as to one of the most intimate and important moment of a mother’s life is undermined with the advent of technology.

But how was it able to connect with the Indian audience so beautifully, yes it is funny, cute, satirical, but most importantly the basic idea of consumerism works in them showing what we want to see, and same is the case here, somewhere , even in our subconscious we know about the endless opportunity a high speed internet holds , we can imagine if not us at least the upcoming generation to get glued to it and when we see it we can’t help but laugh at it.

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Arwanker Pyngrope
2016IPM023

The representation of a woman has seen a distinct shift when it comes to their portrayal in certain media forms such as advertisements and commercials. Feminism has played a significant role in this, wherein women are now seen as strong, independent and capable individuals. However, nowadays the underlying problem is how this celebration of a woman’s capabilities and achievements is seen and represented on screen. What may be seen as empowering to many may in reality, depict that the way for the woman to show power and control is through her sexuality and the culture of consumerism.

In a particular commercial shown by Fogg, one of the leading deodorant brands in the India, there is a clear depiction of the independent and capable woman. In contrast to the image of women which were seen in ads in the 1950s and 60s which sees women as intellectually inferior to men, we see a woman is able to choose and make decisions for herself. This ad may look as if we are now past the old and sexist portrayal of women.  In an Indian context, we see an open minded woman who looks as though she is getting ready for a date or party which is a somewhat modern and liberal view of the Indian woman.

However, when we analyse the ad critically we find that the ad in itself rejects feminism and promotes ‘enlightened sexism’. Throughout the commercial, we are given the image of a fair toned woman with flawless skin and facial features. The ad focuses on the materialistic mindset of the woman as she chooses the perfect dress. Additionally, each frame of the ad focuses on either a particular bodily aspect of the woman or a certain product which highlights that particular body part thereby objectifying her image. As the ad is playing there are recurring words in the background which highlight how ‘cool’ it is for a woman to use certain products such as lipstick, flashy earrings and heels. In the end, we see the Fogg deo spray being used and hear the phrase ‘Smell wonderful. Feel Beautiful’ implying the importance of the product in defining a woman’s beauty. Hence this ad displays a subtle form of sexism that can be misleading at first but can be easily misinterpreted as supporting the empowerment of women.

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FOGG Black Collection Deo For Women Latest AD

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Call of Duty Series and the Power of Rhetoric

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Call of Duty Series and the Power of Rhetoric

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SREYAN CHATTERJEE
2016IPM106

It is the D-Day. We are about to land on the beach. Sgt. Randall is blurting out some instructions which I cannot hear. All I know is that I need to capture Pointe Du Hoc. There is a hailstorm of Artillery Shells falling all around me…and then we are hit by sniper fire from the cliffs. As I am about to leave the boat, a shell hits it. I fall down, disoriented. I see A fellow soldier carrying a wounded mate on his shoulder. Then he gets shot. Is this the war that we wanted?

https://youtu.be/4IWqWsBxvkw

I have been an ardent fan of the Call of Duty series. It is First Person Shooter (FPS in gaming parlance) that was first released in 2003. I have played numerous computer games starting from Max Payne and Delta Force to Battlefield and Medal of Honor. But no game has made me feel more attached to it than the COD series. With each new game, the gameplay becomes more realistic, the storyline moving and the characters intriguing.

Unlike other FPS games, COD relies on a strong visual and audio simulation of the gamer. This means that apart from having an engaging storyline, it also relies on scenes which tend to be graphic. Be it shooting near a bar in Havana in Call of Duty: Black Ops, seeing dead cows in Call of Duty II or Makarov and his squad shooting at hundreds of passengers in an Airport Terminal, the COD series has always aimed at creating a heightened sensation of reality and fully immersing the gamer into the game. I remember screaming like a mad man when the ending of Black Ops was revealed to me. How could Viktor Rezhnov die at the beginning when he was with me throughout the game? This question plagued me and thousands of other gamers. COD to a great extent presents the good and bad sides of a war with great efficacy. It keeps hitting the gamer’s conscience in multiple ways. For instance, when the player dies and the screen pauses to load for the next round, quotes by famous generals, politicians, activists and the so-called “National Heroes”. Often these quotes carry pacifist thoughts and hint towards the futility of war. So while the gamer is busy defending a building in Leningrad during the World War II (Call of Duty II) and a German MG-42 hits him and the game ends, a quote attributed to Bertrand Russel which goes as “War does not determine who is right. Only who is left” pops on the screen. When a young soldier dies in Normandy we see Ernest Hemingway saying “In Modern War…you will die like a dog for no good reason”. A Panzer shell hits an American soldier in Netherlands and we see Anton Chekov’s line “We shall find peace. We shall hear angels; we shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds.” As the series evolved from the first COD game in the series (COD I) to the most recent Call of Duty Black Ops 4, the one thing that has remained common are these supraliminal messages which try to direct the gamers attention away from the amusement and enjoyment obtained from killing. While other FPS games like Medal of Honor and Battlefield are explicitly partisan and create set definitions of who the winner is, who the bad guy is and what victory means, COD prefers to change the narrative.

Due to the lack of seriousness associated with any form of computer games, they are considered just to be a “way to pass time” and entertain the gamer. Prof. Ian Bogost from Georgia Institute of Technology argues that computer games are “capable of informing and persuading as well as entertaining; in short, that they possess the power of rhetoric.”. In his book “Persuasive Games” he debates as to what games are, do and can be. This brings me to the argument the Noam Chomsky extends in his article “What makes mainstream media mainstream”. The elite media sets a framework within which others operate. Medal of Honor and Battlefield are the elite media and they are setting the rules as to what storyline computer games should have. COD lets those with differing ideals to play as well by projecting a different narrative albeit at a very implicit level.

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Call of Duty Modern Warfare: TOP Deaths / BEST Moments Compilation

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Masculinity in Suits: Legal Drama Television Series

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Masculinity in Suits: Legal Drama Television Series

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Written By: Kartik Kohli (2016IPM048)

For the analysis of the concepts of Masculinity, I have taken the artefact which is a popular drama series called “Suits.” "Suits" depicts various forms of masculinity as the story progresses. The lead character, Harvey Specter, a dynamic tall white rich male who is regarded as the best lawyer of New York is the prime example of Hegemonic Masculinity. He is depicted as an aggressive person with perfect physical features, and someone who often gets into fist fights with his friends and competitors. Harvey also has a certain sense of emotional detachment, or at least on the face of it. All these features would make one the lead of a famous American series, and someone who many of the viewers would aspire to be.

On the other hand, we see a side character in the series as Louis Litt, a white male again but with pompous body structure and emotion-driven actions affecting his attorney life. He is belittled at every instance by the lead characters as all of them see him as somewhat incompetent and stupid when he shows some of his "feminine characteristics and interests" like ballet, art, mudding, cats, etc.

However, if we look at the series on the overall front, we will find that aggression remains one of the key emotions depicted in it. Aggression while talking, maintaining relationships, during their regular jobs or their in-office interactions make this a common trait among all men and even the women on the show. The depiction is so strong that it almost makes anyone believe that this is how high-functioning corporate lives are, where men show hostile behavior in their everyday business and exercise control over whoever they can at the moment. Some of the models of masculinity on the show promote toxic qualities like deception, anger, violence such that they are thought to be okay and an integral part of the modern world. Also, all successful lawyers on the show are white heterosexual males, with an exception of a few characters, who make all the decisions on the show and drive the story line through their actions. Rule-bending and crossing the line of law are also acceptable on the show as long the lead protagonist of the show is doing it, and it is somewhat encouraged.

Anyone viewer might see it as the ideal model for masculinity, being a man in this world of dominating personalities. The ideals are so powerful that even the female characters have to emulate these to show their power and dominance over others. It thus defines a man by the power and strength he possesses and also defines it as ideals that individuals should imbibe in themselves.

Finally, if we look at the title of the TV series 'Suits,’ it points towards the classic formal male attire which separates the strong, powerful individuals of the society from the not so powerful and influential ones. The theme of the show makes it almost impossible to ignore the fact that to be a man; one has to embody all kinds of characteristics of perfect attire, hair, and face and physical features (fair, slim, tall, well-built physique etc) that would make one seem aggressive and powerful among the rest of the individuals. The set of ideals are impossible for any one individual ever to achieve but they are often used to compare them as being man enough.

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Submitted by:
Harmin Gandhi
2016IPM041

Harley Quinn is introduced in a sexy avatar followed up with the song “You don’t own me.. Don’t tell me what to do”. With all the power and independence given to the character by the writers where the song compliments the idea, the dressing of the character is certainly something that we do not usually encounter in a prison, giving her a ‘sexy’ look. And with Margot Robbie playing the character, a sexier avatar is presented to the viewers. With the scenes presented in the first minute and a half like licking the prison bar, “play with me”, and “I sleep with who I want”, this certainly gives power to the character – the power to choose. But to what extent? This is just another case of presenting the fantasies of power. With no introduction to her supposedly superpowers, her sexiness and her craziness are supposed to impress us.

The argument further continues when she chooses to exert this power again in the parking garage while changing clothes. With superheroes (or, super-villains in this case) being inspiration to many, they show us the importance of looks again when she puts on her lipstick and now in a sexier outfit. When she puts her dress on, all the people (where there was one woman as well) in the background are amazed and pause for a moment to have a look at her. A super-villain wanting to be sexy is fine, but the society also wants the same – a woman to be sexy no matter how crazy she is. Moreover, no other character (which includes mainly male characters) is shown dressing up which again reflects that why did the filmmakers put that scene in the movie in the first place – although that’s a different topic altogether. But the idea of enlightened sexism is shown often in media and the society seems to follow the norm.

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Harley Quinn Scenes (Part 1)  SUICIDE SQUAD 2016

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Shivangi Soni
2016IPM099

This ad was released by Wagh Bakri in India in the year 2015. It has a simple story line; a man is extremely busy in his professional life and isn’t able to give enough time to his wife. His wife eventually sends him a message via a handycam, telling him that she is leaving because he hasn’t the time to interact with her or even acknowledge her presence. He eventually ends up reaching at her house and they are shown as having as having a warm cup of tea together. Their relationship is shown to have evolved over tea in a certain sense to fit the brand and its value in the ad. While otherwise simple, there are a few noteworthy points in the construction of the characters and their environment. Firstly, the whole setting appears to be a typical middle class household. The wife is shown as lesser educated in comparison to the husband, and is shown doing typical work of the household like cooking and knitting. Her husband is shown as working almost all the time, having no time for even a conversation. He partakes no responsibility of the household. He is also projected as the person who cares, but isn’t adept at expressing this. An example of this character development is a small clip where the wife burns her hand and he goes to look for ointment even as he continues to speak on his phone.

This ad presents itself as a good example of the Resonance Theory. Tony Schwartz, an ad maker, claims that advertisements are formed in a way such that they resonate with information that an individual already has; thereby inducing the desired effect. In the Wagh Bakri ad, we see various small details that would resonate with the everyday lives of the target consumers. The middle class women, who the ad is aimed towards, are often homemakers who are in an arranged marriage. The corporate culture of India is also such that the lower and middle level employees are often expected to contribute to the organization well outside the designated office hours. This combination leads, in a certain degree, to the situation as shown in the ad. The husbands and wives have few moments of genuine conversation. The team of Wagh Bakri has shown hope of this scenario changing through the tea they offer, and thus have successfully used the resonance in situations of their characters and their consumers to present an effective advertisement.

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RISHTON KI GARMAHAT. A FILM BY WAGH BAKRI TEA.

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Shreedipta Biswas
2015IPM102
In Susan J. Douglas’s article about the rise of enlightened sexism, she talks about Enlightened Sexism. She defines it as a subtle sneaky way through which the media conveys the message that “you can be or do anything you want, as long as you conform to pretty confining ideals around femininity and don’t want too much.” The female achievements are shown on the surface, while making them grounded to the patriarchal society.

The given advertisements shows how enlightened sexism work through the assistance of media by conforming the norms for women. In this the women is shown to be of higher authority of an organization and she has Arjun Kapoor (protagonist) working under him. It shows that even though she has more power in the work environment she fails to wield it. She is shown as weak and ditzy. When Arjun Kapoor comes in late to the office, rather than rebuking, she lets it pass. The advertisements shows that as long as men are charismatic, they can get away with anything. The women leader is shown as inefficient and amateurish with her teenage girl like behavior. This advert shows an environment which is ludicrous and doesn’t happen in reality. The reinstates the notion that women are not suitable for a leadership role. In the garb of “feminism” this advertisement resurrects the sexist stereotypes that are associated with a women in leadership position.

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Philips Pro Skin Trimmer "Prisoner of Love"

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Bhagya Shree Jayas

2016IPM028

Reading: Media Hegemony: A perspective of failure by David L. Altheide

Media Artifacts: 'US Safe For Indians': Damage Control Mode Sets In After Student's Death, NDTV news report, May 24, 2017

“Being Indian in Trump’s America” by Amitava Kumar, article from the New Yorker, dated March 15, 2017

These two articles are quite interesting to compare in a multitude of ways, particularly in terms of their sources. Mr. Kumar is an Indian residing in the United States of America; the other is an NDTV article that would regularly pop up in our news feeds. The issue is the same- The safety of Indian origin individuals post the passing of Trump’s stringent H-1B visa rules. Kumar’s article is straight from the heart- he laments over the nasty attitude that seems to have suddenly arisen towards anyone of color. Opening with the brutal murder of Navroze Mody by a dozen American youth in Hoboken, he sheds light on how he may not have been victim to open aggression, but it is the subtle things he faces daily that counts. The area which he resides in may not have changed much, but he is still subjected to what he calls 'ignorance': If the white man cannot be wise enough to differentiate between ethnicities and religions, anyone who looks different from the ‘standard American’ will be subject to discrimination. The internet, he says, only makes this ten times worse, spreading hate and ‘fake news’ at a rate faster than can be controlled.
In the NDTV article, two short lines are dedicated to the official statement given by the USA administration. The rest highlights concern Indian families have harbored over sending their children abroad in the backdrop of the rising cases of racial violence. In short, while both highlight very serious issues, a bigger problem is quietly playing havoc with both the news reports- They’re framed according to how the author wishes you to see it.
D. Altheide talks about how Media is being manipulated constantly, and media domination is defined by three claims- Journalists unwittingly or consciously promote ideological hegemony in their work, cover topics which follow the status quo and negatively cover foreign countries. Turning the article’s American perspective around, this can be seen regarding Indian media platforms too. NDTV only reiterates what we know and wished to hear, and Kumar does not try to blunt his sharp knife of criticism of the US government or even Indian residents, who he says have turned misguided over the years. Altheide points out that bad news resonates stronger with the public, and it is evident if one does a basic Google search on the condition of Indian residents abroad, let alone in the United States. All in all, though Altheide penned his work back in the 1980s, his fears about the imminent control of Media by groups with vested interests still hold true.

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Submitted by: Sarvesh Pachgade (2016IPM091)

Hegemonic masculinity, as defined by Raewyn Connell (1987) is a collection of traits that a man should possess to qualify as a “real man”. These traits set up by the society dominates how a man should carry himself and “act” in a specific (sometimes inhumanly) manner. This response tries to critically analyse the artefact “male heroes in Disney movies” through the lens of hegemonic masculinity. A Disney movie largely is the first time when a child is exposed to what behaviours he/she should put up in order to be better appreciated and accepted. The response will include the implications of these characters towards three stakeholders:

1.     The male Homo sapiens: The personalities of these characters constantly reinforce the belief that “you are not enough”. Unless you have the physique of Hercules, the riches of Prince Charming, courage of Prince Philip and thirst for adventure like Aladeen; you are not enough. These characters act in accordance with Harry Brod’s image of real men being physically strong, aggressive and in control of what they do. In reality, no single man’s world fulfils all these criteria. Hence, going by this image by Disney, no man will ever be able to marry the princess of his dreams.

2.     To female Homo sapiens: No matter if you are the central character of the movie, there will arrive a man to save you. You yourself are weak, helpless and in order to come out of whatever problems you are perpetually in (being exploited by aunts or held by curse) you cannot get out of the situation unless a handsome prince becomes your saviour.

3.     The society: It promotes the image where society is highly divided, where there is no scope of intersection between the behaviours of a gentleman and a lady and where men being in dominant position have answers to all the problems and hence take all the decisions.

The stereotypes that these movies create have a global audience and hence work at the global level of hegemonic masculinity analysis to give a more profound effect worldwide. There needs to be more research work in the area of what plots can be created for movies for kids to ensure that such conditionings are done away with.

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Submitted By:
Ananya Nigam
2016IPM012

Art is often a piece left for self-interpretation by the viewer. "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder", yes, but misinterpretation of a piece is the other side of this coin.
The artifact I have chosen is made by a cartoonist who goes by the name 'Sortimid'. (Please ignore the tweet)
At the first glance, or second, one might be able to the various unacceptable statements presented by this cartoon.
A lady with curvy body and blond hair, finds a book lying somewhere. She picks it up, starts reading and suddenly her clothes start getting longer, her skin goes light from tanned and she becomes skinny.
Change in her skin color, body type, clothes, and hair depict sexism and racism in first glance.
It faced a lot of controversy because of these reasons which the artist finds stupid. He says, at least this is how I interpret it, "I wanted to see the reverse of the process of Bimbofication looks like." He says in clarification that yes, this cartoon is sexist but not in the way it is being interpreted, hence defeating the whole purpose.
My problem with this picture is, can't a 'Bimbo' be well-educated? Or who is a 'Bimbo'? Are we supposed to classify them as a different category; isn't it sexism in itself? I wonder if this comes under the territory of 'Enlightened Sexism', whereby people accept feminism but constantly try to put women "in their place" or in their "pre-dictated image", in this case, a Bimbo.
The statement of the artist shifts the entire discussion to what he actually meant, but is that statement acceptable?

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Mr. Clean - "Cleaner of Your Dreams" - Super Bowl 2017

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Mr. Clean - "Cleaner of Your Dreams" - Super Bowl 2017

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Submitted By:
Anusha Soni
(2016IPM020)

The Mr. Clean commercial titled “Cleaner of Your Dreams” featured in Super Bowl 2017 was an attempt to gather as many eyeballs as possible through its blatant portrayal of an animated Mr. Clean as a sex symbol and catered to the expectations of the least enlightened brains through its much enlightened sexism.  There are two major ramifications of this ad that I see a problem with. Firstly, the commercial is fundamentally constructed on the belief that cleaning is not something that forms a part of the usual tasks a man is ought to do. The unusual-ness of a man cleaning is what attracts a woman and hence every woman “gotta love a man who cleans”.  This belief stems out from the “Enlightened Sexism” of the makers, who borrow from and build on the larger belief that it is not typical of a man to clean his own house and hence anyone who does so is ought to be loved, praised and rewarded (in interesting ways) for doing the extraordinary. This idea of enlightened sexism, as discussed by Susan Douglas in her book “The rise of Enlightened Sexism” leads to the perpetuation of highly distorted ideologies in the society by suggesting to not abide by sexist roles assigned by the society but simultaneously giving an equally sexist reasoning or justification for the same. It is extremely gripping to note how the commercial tries to promote the notions of ‘hypo-masculinity’ while actively reinforcing the ideas of ‘hyper-masculinity’ at the same time. Secondly, there is a certain call to action underlined in the commercial for the men to clean the house, obviously not because it’s their job to, but majorly because it is something that women would find sexy. This highly resonates the thoughts and preferences of a certain section of men in the society who would prefer to do a certain act if it adds to their sex appeal in the eyes of other women and probably not so much if it’s just about the basic human tenets of helping one another and sharing responsibilities. Thus, we can see the “Resonance theory” suggested by Tony Schwartz (further elaborated by Sut Jhally in ‘What's wrong with a little objectification?’) at play here, wherein the commercial borrows from the existing ideas in the society to create something that seems to be aspirational to those affected by the ad. Here, the idea of being sexy is being sold to the men who aspire to attain that sex appeal of sorts in the eyes of (a) woman/women.

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Priyanshi Sharma
2016IPM080
Reading - 'What's wrong with a little objectification?', Sut Jhally

Sut Jhally's article talks about ad maker Tony Schwartz's 'resonance' theory.
The theory points that when you are seeking to persuade or communicate something to someone, rather than tell them what they need to know, try and draw it out of them.
It makes the idea resonate with their innermost thoughts and makes them relate with your idea.
This is precisely what Aditya Birla's latest life insurance ad tends to do.
As an insurance company their product relies on terms and condition. This,however, does not make the idea resonate with the audience.
Experiences are not stored as symbols and so symbolic cueing is not the best way to evoke them. The close linkage with feelings means that more emotional evocative methods will be more successful. So, they use emotions.
The ad starts with a single father discovering that his son suffers from Autism.The father dotes on the son throughout the ad and the son depends on the father.  The father loses his job and then starts a new business for his son's sake.
This relationship between a parental figure and a child resonates close to audience's sentimentality as well as conscience. Furthermore, the sentimental points of a single father or a child suffering from Autism gives out the feeling of you wishing well for them automatically. Mothers are often the centre figure of most parent centric ads, here however, a father takes on those shoes. Thus, the ad creates a new angle, has a more refreshing touch than the other contemporary Indian ads, while still invoking the same feelings and creating the same resonance within the audience, because "fathers care for their children as well".(It can also be because insurance companies generally target men as clients, but that's for another reading and another theory)
The ad does not depict the use of the insurance, outrightly. But makes the audience manipulate themselves into thinking - "If I want to take care of my family, I should buy this insurance." A clear example of partipulation, whereby the ad does not manipulate the audience but invites their participation in the construction of meaning.
The ad clearly wanted to portray the insurance as the hero, secondary, but hero nonetheless. And It does just that, fulfilling its purpose.

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Old Spice 2013 Commercial - 'Mantastic Man'

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Old Spice 2013 Commercial - 'Mantastic Man'

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Gatha Lashkari
2016IPM039

The image of a ‘real’ man has always been a major feature of a majority of the ads created by Old Spice, an American Brand which sells men’s grooming products. Old spice have always portrayed men with high manual power articulated in the form of heavy built and muscular strength. On the other hand, they sketch the image of men as highly sophisticated, belonging to high social status and exercising control and authority through their great mental power.  This ad begins with the actor sitting on a throne metaphorical of his epitomic masculinity. He is shown wearing a big bold locket saying ‘MAN’, wearing an expensive watch and shades, and drinking from embellished silver cups. The camera focuses on his broad build and wearing a towel giving the idea that he had just came out from a shower and is ready to use Old Spice to enhance his manliness. He flatters the audience while talking about the various awards he has received for his bravery and valor. The actor talks about his dilemmatic condition when he didn’t know what it was to be a real man. It wasn’t applying gel to his hair to keep it perfect or the various awards he received, memberships of royal societies or more. The ad ends with him discovering the real idea of man, which is to intensify his manliness through the use of old spice deodorant and him becoming ‘mantastic’.

This particular ad attempts to create a mold for real men who is characterised by strong muscular body, is a brave heart and exercises power and control, who needs to be intelligent, smart and clever at the same time. In other words, the ad depicts a form of masculinity which is hegemonic in nature and legitimizes his remarkably high stance in society. It depicts the supremacy of the man over the woman while portraying her as a subordinate serving her master. He is polite and courteous, although lordly and commanding at the same time. A different nuance of the same act could also mean that this is a way real men are honoured with women at their feet who are ready to serve them, given they exercise their masculinity. This ad also stresses on the occupational achievement of men in the form of valor awards which is a key feature of hegemonic masculinity.

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Old Spice Commercial(Oct 2013)-Mantastic Man(Latest Indian TV Ad)

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Daisy Ad campaign for presidential candidate Lyndon B. Johnson

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Daisy Ad campaign for presidential candidate Lyndon B. Johnson

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Cherry Yadvendu

2016IPM031

Reading: What's wrong with a little objectification? by Sut Jhally

Ad: Daisy Ad campaign for presidential candidate Lyndon B. Johnson

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDTBnsqxZ3k

Critical Response:

Sut Jhally,in ‘What's wrong with a little objectification?' further elaborates Tony Schwartz’s ‘Resonance Theory’. It is one where you do not use new information or facts to communicate but rather persuade the viewer by activating key information already stored in the brain. It helps in producing a behavioral effect. In a way, one capitalizes on the information that the viewer already knows by selling it back to them. The artifact I have chosen to elaborate this theory is the ‘Daisy Ad’: An ad campaign for presidential candidate Mr Lyndon B Johnson. The ad campaign starts with a girl plucking petals off of a daisy flower, once she is done with the counting, the screen zooms into her eyes and you can hear the “ 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” countdown post which the screen turns black and turns into a mushroom cloud explosion. What follows next is a voice over saying  “These are the stakes. To make a world in which all of God's children can live, or to go into the dark. We must either love each other, or we must die." This ad was aired only and only once without the mention of Barry Goldwater’s name, but yet it left a huge impression in the hearts of the voters.

Lyndon B. Johnson’s opposition candidate was Mr Barry Goldwater, a very outspoken person. Lyndon B. Johnson did not need to tell the audience who his opponent was. Mr Goldwater was widely known and quite infamous for his distressing remarks. His views, a little extremist, generally put people into a frenzy. He made various comments about throwing a grenade inside a room in Kremlin. He did not approve of the New Deal coalition. He also opposed the civil rights act 1964. His views often included using nuclear weapons to defeat Vietnam as he believed they were simply just another weapon. He, once even claimed in his speeches, “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice”.

For an advertisement to work, one must ensure it hits the right emotions to persuade the person. This campaign was less of data based, instead it used Goldwater's statements to target the pathos of the audience. The mushroom cloud which is seen after the girl resonates with the audience as they felt that Goldwater would eventually choose the path of nuclear destruction with Vietnam. It would not have been easy living in 1964 and hearing such views on the use of nuclear weapons especially when the Cuban missile crisis occurred just a few years before. The message was clear despite it being implicit that: Barry Goldwater was a mad person who will end up performing genocide. Being one of the most excellent examples of resonance theory, the ad campaign just acted as a trigger and resonated with what the audience already believed.

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(High Quality) Famous "Daisy" Attack Ad from 1964 Presidential Election

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Youtube Trending List- November 27, 2018

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Youtube Trending List- November 27, 2018

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Sanchit Mehra
2016IPM090
In the rapidly growing world economy, no one can deny the part that is played by consumerism. In fact, the sheer volume of available consumables is so much, that advertising inadvertently forms a huge part of the discourse of corporate consumerism. As Jules Henry argued, advertisements manage to capture the values of corporate consumerism, such as those of indulgence, hedonism, and instant gratification. In such times, any advertisement that manages to capture the attention of its intended audience is successful, at least in part.  Mass media, too, is an integral part of the advertising world. Media, itself, is used as advertisement for media.

The link below is a video trailer for the series ‘Agents of Shield’:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3T-evQZiQo&t=91s

This particular media artefact is, according to me, an excellent example of remediation, because it is remediated on not one, but two levels. First, the Marvel Cinematic universe, to which this piece belongs, has been adapted from a series of comics by the late Stan Lee. Further, Agents of Shield is a spin off based on a particular set of characters from this universe, which were first seen in the extremely popular ‘Marvel’s Avengers”. The former portrays a new perspective into the life of Agent Phil Coulson who was first seen in the latter. This, therefore, is a new interpretation, not just of Marvel’s comics, but also of the movie. The trailer is, in effect, not selling the show itself, but the fact that the show is a spin off from popular culture.

Apart from remediation, this piece of media also clearly portrays how previous pieces of media affect it. The trailer makes it evident that this show draws heavily upon the popularity of the Avenger’s franchise to gain an audience. In fact, it begins with glimpses of the Avengers, which according to me is an attempt to tap into the wide audience base that the film franchise has garnered. It also does so by flaunting the fact that the show is directed by the same person as the movie was.

The trailer gives its audience a brand new take on concepts and characters that have formerly been introduced in related media. The protagonist, touted to be dead in the avengers, is brought back to life, both literally, and metaphorically. The character of Agent Phil Coulson was quite popular in the avengers, and his passing away in the movie was an emotional element for its audiences. The trailer makes it evident that the show has tapped into this emotion. His character, as shown in the trailer, is now completely redefined, and quite a contrast from what was shown in the movie. The timid, shy man we saw on the big screen has given way to a confident, suave agent who now has his own elite team. This, in my opinion, is a brilliant take on the metaphor of coming back from the dead.

The trailer showcases ample humour, action, and suspense from the show to target a wide audience.

As we progress in the trailer, it moves further and further away from Avengers, to give the show an identity of its own. This is clearly seen in various ways, the most prominent of which is the flamboyant display of all the new characters in the show, which, while totally unrelated to the old ones, seem to have all too familiar skills. More subtle, and more important though, is the line with which the trailer ends – ‘Not all heroes are super’.

Through this, the trailer conveys the fact that while none of the ensemble in the show apparently have super powers, they are heroes in their own way. Through this, it establishes an identity for the show that is nowhere close to that of the avengers, despite taking place in the same cinematic universe.

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Submitted by:
Ananya Agarwal
2016IPM011

How many of us really recognize and thank our mothers for their constant yet invisible efforts on us. It is the time of crisis or test when the flashback of all those moments arrive where there support made us ‘strong’. Seriously - no one would ever expect a household and cleaning products company to bring a commercial which would pull at the heartstrings in that manner. Procter & Gamble (P&G) launched one of the best ads ever seen from the industry of consumer goods under their Olympic Games sponsorship campaign of ‘Thank You, Mom.’

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdQrwBVRzEg)

In the article ‘What's Wrong With a Little Objectification’, by Sut Jhally, we are made to think that advertisements must go beyond their typical product values to reach the audience and the consumer. Consumers look for an image where they see something they are longing for. The consumer then associates these desires with the product and hopefully buy the product based on these feelings. Tony Schwartz calls this ‘partipulation’, where the audience participates in its own manipulation. The ad looks for the participation of the consumer in constructing their own meaning with the ad.

The ad has been critically acclaimed, with its series under ‘Thank You, Mom’ with this edition being titles as ‘Strong’ with its previous edition being ‘Best Job’ in 2012. ‘Strong’ was the fourth installation in this campaign and was quite successful where there is a possibility of most ads failing due to repetitiveness.

The ad looks to associate the values of motherhood like care, perseverance and their struggle of daily life with their line of products. The commercial addresses to link these values of moms by convincing and manipulating the audience by celebrating and thanking mothers with their product range which form the part of the daily life of any household. The key to this campaign and its success is that it doesn't push products down your throat, only feelings.

"It takes someone strong to make someone strong." With that powerful, emotional ending and send chills through viewers highlighting the incredible strength shown by their mothers. That's because P&G recognized the story behind the story of Olympic athletes -- the stories which show the supportive mothers who pushed forward these world-class athletes throughout their entire lives leading them up to that crowning moment. And yes, they probably had to do a lot of laundry, cleanup and other household chores along the way - presumably using P&G products.

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P&G 'Thank You, Mom' Campaign Ad: "Strong" (Rio 2016 Olympics)