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"What do you want to learn in this course? Why is this course interesting to you? What topic(s) are you most excited about?"

Honestly, I do not know what to expect from this course. I am a Sociology major, and I needed another class to fulfill my options. The name of the course itself, "Introduction to Communication and Media Studies," stood out to me while browsing through different courses, so naturally, I signed up. Nobody I know has ever taken or is currently enrolled in COMS201, so this class is entirely foreign. Although I chose to sign up solely because of the interesting (and somewhat long) name, the first day was engaging! Prof. Thrift's energy and enthusiasm this morning temporarily washed away my fatigue, and I found myself enjoying an early lecture for once. I do not want to learn any topics in particular because of my lack of knowledge in this subject. I am just excited to show up to class and learn whatever Prof. Thrift is going to teach :D

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"In this final journal entry, I’d like you to meaningfully reflect on the course. Read through all your previous journal entries from this semester: what was the most compelling or important thing you learned this term? Why did you find it compelling? Did any of the content challenge what you thought you knew about communication and media studies? How has the course impacted your approach to communication and media in your own life (whether work, personal, or academic)?"

Reflecting on my first semester at University, I learned a lot in my four months here. All the topics we have discussed in class are fascinating, but the one that stood out to me the most was Dallas Symthe's theory of the audience commodity. When we learned about the hidden commodification of viewers, it felt like my third eye opened. After learning about the audience commodity, detournement, and the flow of spectacle, I know now to be more aware of the way I consume media, how I consume it, and what it is that I am spending my non-working hours on.

I did not find any content challenging, thankfully, but the essay was definitely not easy. I thought I would do better, but my mark severely disappointed me. It was my first formal research paper at University, though, and I now know to check my citations THOROUGHLY. Writing that essay gave me good experience and insight for the papers to come in my budding academic career. Dr. Thrift was not exaggerating, COMS201 enhances your writing skills, and I genuinely value the time I spent improving them.

Overall, the most important thing I learned this semester is not to underestimate your citations. Jokes aside, I learned a lot about the history and foundations of the field of Communications. It's like Stuart Hall, and I are best buddies. Coming into this course as a first-year Sociology major with no clue what this class would study, I am considering taking COMS203 next semester. I gained even more critical thinking skills, reading efficiency, and patience from this class. It was a semester full of growth.

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"Pay attention to your news consumption this week. What are your primary sources of news and how do you assess their credibility?"

I have been attempting to keep up to date about the conflict in Gaza, and my primary sources are social media apps. I hear news about Palestine from journalists using their accounts on Twitter or Instagram before telecommunications have been cut off with Palestine. They share photos, videos, and stories of the people living there who are facing atrocities we can never imagine, even in our darkest nightmares. I find the credibility of journalist's personal social media accounts to be more trustworthy than Canadian news outlets regarding the coverage of the events going on in Palestine. I do not want to get too "political" in my journal because I know some people have different views on this matter, and it is a very sensitive subject. Nonetheless, sometimes news outlets do not remain clear of bias in the news they produce and push an agenda set out by a specific group of people. I choose to stick to the news shared by the people witnessing it firsthand and who choose to share their stories, no matter if it risks their lives, because they want to raise awareness rather than profit.

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"How does the political activism of Harry Potter fans illustrate a key idea from reception studies? According to Rosenberg’s article, why do some pop culture texts inspire fans to engage in real-world activism?"

Harry Potter fans demonstrate cultural acupuncture when doing political activism. Cultural acupuncture, as we have discussed in class, is when stories in pop culture influence individuals to act on social issues in real life. This concept occurs when fans share the same interests and values and draw from fictional metaphors to fuel their cause. The Harry Potter franchise follows the golden trio (Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley) as they fight against Voldemort's evil forces. Eventually, they form Dumbledore's Army with other Hogwarts students and save the wizarding world from the cruel and discriminatory Voldemort. Readers of Harry Potter are drawn to the strong sense of justice and the relentless nature against evil that the main characters have. By reading the Harry Potter books, readers live vicariously through the Golden Trio and Dumbledore's Army as they solve injustices in their fictional world. Some fans who do want to participate in activism may feel overwhelmed on how to do so and are disheartened to start. This is where the Harry Potter Alliance comes in; they give them the proper community and resources to do so.

In the case of the Harry Potter Alliance, Fans are inspired to engage in real-world activism because they are less intimidated by the intricacies of activism when done in a group setting. Since they are surrounded by like-minded people who share the same viewpoints as them, they are influenced and encouraged to participate. J.K. Rowling's experiences with poverty and job at Amnesty International inspired Slack and his co-founders to start the Harry Potter Alliance. Their goal was to "show them [Harry Potter fans] fun and accessible ways they can take action and express their passion to make the world better by working with one of our NGO'S." (Slack 2009). The HP Alliance employs cultural acupuncture by "mapping fictional content worlds onto real-world concerns (Jenkins 3). This creates a sense of shared identity and solidarity amongst fans, thus giving them the power to fight social issues.

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"Why is media policy important? What purpose does it serve? What purpose(s) has it served in the Canadian context, specifically?"

Media policies aim to ensure that the media works for Canadian citizens, society, media owners, and creators. It is essential to find a balance between meeting the needs of the collective and the individual and adhering to universal principles. Such policies are essential to set expectations for proper behaviour online for users. Public policy also "shapes the ground-- particularly the economic ground-- on which media products are created and, in turn, influences the character of those products and the ways they represent the world" (Gasher et. al 588).

Media policies encourage Canadian content to be shared and produced. If not for media policies, there would be more US programming on broadcast stations than there is now. Another purpose of media policies is to limit foreign ownership of Canadian media. As a result, Canadian media is stopped "from becoming simple extensions of their American cousins" (Gasher et. al 588). Another pillar of Canadian media policy is to protect the revenues of Canadian producers so that they can continue to invest in the industry. Essentially, media policies protect Canadian culture and identity from foreign powers.

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"This week, pay attention to the number of different ways in which you are subject to surveillance, whether through tracking apps, information gathering algorithms, CCTV, or other means. Is this more or less than you were expecting? Do you think it is accurate to say we live in a “panoptic society”? Why or why not?"

Whenever I walked into Walmart, I would check myself out through the CCTV in front of the store. I never thought much of someone watching me through the cameras, only that I looked good on the monitor. However, now that I have given it more thought, it feels off-putting the amount of surveillance we experience daily, not just on cameras but online as well. The very fact someone is monitoring our movements and judges if we are abiding by the rules intensifies my social anxiety, even though I know that I will not act out of line. This amount of surveillance is normalized and was something I expected, but it feels uncomfortable to think about.

I believe that we still live in a Panoptic society. From a Sociological standpoint, the idea that someone could be watching us encourages an individual to adhere to societal norms out of the fear of standing out and getting punished. It feels like the prison mentioned in class. I should also be aware of my digital footprint, something I have heard since we were taught about online safety in Elementary. The idea that my future employer could trace my online activity keeps me in check so that I do not act recklessly online.

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" Which theory of media effects addressed in our reading this week most corresponds with your own view(s) and why? If none do, say that and explain why they conflict with your own perspective(s). Support with reference to an example"

I agree with the Birmingham School's conceptualization of the audience as a plural rather than a mass. From my own experiences and the behaviour I have witnessed from others, the audience is not as mindless as the Frankfurt School claims it to be. The Birmingham School switches the relationship between the media and the audience. People pick and choose the ideas and messages they see and contort them to fit their ideologies. They can reject doctrines against theirs rather than submit to the dominant ideology. This is especially discernible online in the New Media Age, where discourse and conflict between users with differing ideologies is inevitable and unrestrained. Opposing ideas can help solidify an individual's sense of identity through the individual's resistance to conform to that idea.

If people were genuinely mindless as the Frankfurt school makes them out to be, we would have a population with the same beliefs and values. The media would think for us, and we all would have the same opinions. This results in a homogenous population with no dissent. However, we know that this is not the case in real life. Individuals pick out what they consume based on their needs and decode the information based on their experiences and prior knowledge. My thoughts align with the cultural studies at Birmingham School.

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"Reflect on the screening. What did you learn from this documentary? What was most compelling? Which concepts from the reading were raised in the film? Has brand culture changed in the years since the documentary?"

This documentary taught me that not all brands are as wholesome as they seem. They push out an image of what they want to appear as, even if it does not precisely reflect how they function as a brand. Coca-Cola advertises itself as a family brand, where the workers are one big family. The truth is far from their image. Workers have been intimidated into silence if they were to speak out about their mistreatment, while others have been fired for going on strike. To me, a compelling concept brought up in No Logo was Disney's monopoly of a community around the Disney brand. They bought off Marvel, National Geographic, and ABC, and I would not even be surprised if they bought off NASA next to stamp a big Mickey logo on the moon.

A concept that was brought up in the reading and No Logo is the notion of commodity fetishism. Commodity fetishism is when a product "becomes enchanted with new meanings that appear to be inherent in the commodity itself" without the knowledge of the consumer (Gasher et. al 242). No Logo incorporates commodity fetishism through the mention of brand culture. Brands change/take away their original image into a different one to appeal to the consumer. An example would be Tommy Hilfiger and their lifestyle brand. Tommy Hilfiger presents itself as a relevant and youthful company to its consumers.

Brand culture has remained the same since the documentary was released. Companies like Walmart and Loblaws continuously push out an image of being a family brand while similar companies to the aforementioned corporations spawn. However, with the rise of influencers, certain brands have shifted their images to be "trendy" with the younger generation through collaborations with social media gurus. Take Morphe, for example. They were an underground makeup brand known only by professional makeup artists. Still, they shifted to an "if you owned a Morphe palette, you are one of the cool kids on the internet" brand with the help of influencers like James Charles and Jeffree Star.

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Representation, Meaning, and Media Content

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"As noted in this week’s reading and lecture, representations are polysemic. Select a magazine cover, print advertisement, or advocacy campaign image.
How many different meanings can be taken from the ad? Identify and (convincingly!) explain 2-3 different meanings conveyed by your chosen media example."

Many ads of the past hold sexual undertones to capture the viewer's attention, whether they are drawn to it consciously or not. The shameless yet, humorous use of a normally taboo topic piques the consumer's interest into purchasing the product. In the Red Apple advertisement above, a nurse loosely holds a cigarette as she gazes straight at the viewer. The caption above her reads, "You ready to blow?" and "For Nurse Bonnie, there is only one taste the truly satisfies", which can be interrupted in two ways. In the literal sense, the first caption asks the viewer if they are ready to smoke a cigarette and the smaller caption states that Nurse Bonnie really, really enjoys Red Apples cigarettes. However, if you were a bit more dirty-minded, the first caption would be implying if you were ready to give attention to a certain body part and that Nurse Bonnie is only satisfied by that certain action.

The connotative meaning of the apple used for the advertisement could be referencing to the forbidden fruit that Eve ate in the Garden of Eden. This ties in with the sexual and taboo aspect of the ad. Another thing to take note is the freaky little caterpillar man in the apple itself. The caterpillar could represent the snake that tempted Eve into eating the forbidden apple, which led to the birth of sin. Mr.Creepy Caterpillar man urges the viewer to try out the "Red Apple", just like Eve did. The red background brings out feelings of passion and seduction that is associated with the colour.

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Gasher, Mike, David Skinner, and Natalie Coulter. 2020. “Media and Communication in Canada: Networks, Culture, Technology, Audience.” BibliU. ‎Oxford University Press. 2020. https://bibliu.com/app/#/view/books/1001232127816/epub/OEBPS/25_ch12_sec5.html#page_593.

Jenkins, Henry. 2012. “View of ‘Cultural Acupuncture’: Fan Activism and the Harry Potter Alliance | Transformative Works and Cultures.” Journal.transformativeworks.org. 2012. https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/305/259.

Rosenberg, Alyssa. 2021. “How ‘Harry Potter’ Fans Won a Four-Year Fight against Child Slavery.” Washington Post, October 26, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2015/01/13/how-harry-potter-fans-won-a-four-year-fight-against-child-slavery/.