COMS 201 Isaac Wong by

Week 1

isaacwong21 — 2023-09-07 15:32:43 UTC

In this course I would like to learn about the many different ways we can communicate in today's society. I am excited to apply what I learn from this course to my everyday life and my career options. This course interests me because I would like to learn how to effectively communicate my thoughts to the people around me and leave a lasting opinion on the topic. Media Effects is a topic in this course that interests me the most. I am curious to learn about the different effects that media has on different societies across the country and around the world.

Week 2

isaacwong21 — 2023-09-14 16:01:44 UTC

One of the biggest things that helped Canada build it's identity as a new country was the completion of the Canadian Pacific
Railway. With the completion of the railway, not only were goods and resources delivered across the continent faster and more efficiently, people were also able to move around more freely as well. Due to the movement of people, it brought lots of diversity and different cultures and traditions to developing cities and outposts. The intermingling of people from all different backgrounds and cultures allowed these places to develop a identity of a respectful place with lots of diversity where cultures intertwined a little bit but also allowed themselves to express their own cultures.

Food is a major way of communicating and expressing culture. Along with the transportation of people, those people would bring along their cultures and different ways of making food with them. Canada is vast country with many different ecosystems across the country. Depending on the area that a particular population was would determine the kind of crops were available to them. For example, Alberta and Saskatchewan's environment is very suitable to grow lots of crops like wheat, and barley and canola, where provinces out in the east coast are known for their ability to grow root vegetables' like potatoes. Due to the limitation of what crops could be harvested, people were forced to share recipes and cultures would be shared through the food that people would make.

Week 3

isaacwong21 — 2023-09-21 16:28:46 UTC

In this print ad by Volkswagen, the denotative meaning describes what we physically see. In the ad we see a Ice hockey goalie in net facing the wrong direction of the play, and in small bold lettering it says, "Confidence you could get used to." And in the image below the goalie is the new car that Volkswagen is selling with a new rear view camera system.

The connotative meaning describes what the ad is actually saying to the audience. In this advertisement the goalie facing the wrong way symbolizes the confidence he has to make the save while not even being able to see. This is similar to saying something like "I could do it with one arm tied behind my back." Volkswagen is saying that you can be so confident in the car that you could drive it with an disadvantage. Another meaning that an audience could interpret this is the saying of how someone has "eyes in the back of their head." Volkswagen is saying that their new rear view camera is so reliable that it's like having "eyes in the back of your head."

A couple myths that could be associated with this print ad is that Volkswagen is saying that their newest car is the most reliable and has the most advanced rear view camera technology in the industry and the consumers need the newest and greatest technology available. And Volkswagen is saying that driving their new car will make you more confident in your driving skills. This advertisement also hints that Volkswagen cares about the customers and the people within the population. We can conclude this because the main use of a rear view camera is so the driver is able to see more clearly what is behind the vehicle (i.e., other cars, children, or obstacles.).

Week 4

isaacwong21 — 2023-09-28 17:10:55 UTC

This past week we took a dive into different theories within the field of communication and media studies. The topic that most aligns with my own personal ideologies is the Agenda setting theory that was discussed during the lecture. This theory claims that news does not tell people what to think but it does give people things to think about. I align with this theory because I believe that consuming information and news about the world around me will help me understand the society that I live in and will allow me to formulate my own opinions on the topic at hand.

While I think it is important for consumers to take in news and information subjectively and use the information given to formulate their own perspectives on the topic, it is important to recognize that news stations have their own values and perspectives of the topic as well. Using the link above. Allsides.com provides a chart mapping out some of the different political perspectives of different news stations in the U.S. Using this information given, a reader can take into account the perspective that the publishers have set upon the coverage of the topic. Having this information will allow the consumer to properly dissect the information that is given and allow the consumer to generate meaning full and insightful opinions on the topic.

Week 5

isaacwong21 — 2023-12-05 03:19:08 UTC

The political activism displayed by Harry Potter fans highlights the ideas and topics discussed in Dr. Thrift's lecture. Reception studies focuses on an audiences interpretation of media and how media fits into the audience members everyday life. In this example of political activism, Harry Potter fans apply the deeper meanings and messages underlined within the series and have injected the morals and lessons they have learned into their personalities and values. As a result, Harry potter fans have made a massive impact on the Harry Potter franchise and how Warner Bros operates their company.

According to Rosenberg's article, fans and the owners of the franchise believe that Harry Potter the franchise should be operating as to how Harry Potter in the series would operate the franchise. Fans of the series have grown to love and understand this phenomenal character. According to what I have learned about reception studies, people in society tend to align with characters due to their hardships and struggles, as well as their morals and beliefs. As a result, many fans of the Harry Potter franchise and the Character are in agreeance with one another that the Warner Bros Company and the Harry Potter franchise should be leaders not only in the entertainment and marketing department but activists on a global scale as well. This is highlighted in Rosenberg's article, link attached above.

Week 9

isaacwong21 — 2023-12-05 04:45:00 UTC

After paying attention to the number of different ways I am being surveillance or tracked over the span of a week, I was surprised by how much higher the number was to what I was expecting. Things as simple as surveillance cameras at every store I walk into, or even around homes that I walk past, along with trackers on websites and apps that cultivate information from the things I see on social media and the websites I visit. All these things that on a normal day I would not have paid attention to before, made me realize how much we are surveillanced.

I believe our society is a more dynamic and sophisticated panoptic society. While on the surface level, I believe that our society is a panoptic society, this is seen throughout society in the general public at shopping malls, houses, Schools, parking garages, and so on. Almost every building you walk into will have a surveillance system or at least have sign that says so to help deter customers from stealing or breaking in, etc. But under the surface level, the panoptic society becomes more dynamic. Almost every website you visit will have some sort of tracker or algorithm that surveillances the content you consume, and companies will use that to information so they understand the market better and detail the content to capture more audience members. In other words, this is a different type of surveillance to help companies govern the population of their market and keep audiences hooked on the content being produced by these companies. This is why I believe that the panoptic society that we live in is much deeper than what we learned in the lecture because many people would say that these big corporations i.e., facebook, that owns a large portion of the social media industry can be referred to as a jail or a trap for people.

Week 10

isaacwong21 — 2023-12-05 23:46:04 UTC

Media policy is important to me because the policies and guidelines that have been set out help protect myself, and others around me. It also protects the content that I consume. Media Policies allow me to consume a wide variety of content from different parts of the country along with media from around the globe in a safe and protected way.

Media Policy has benefitted Canada, especially in the early days of technology when Canada was still relatively new. Canadian media policies like the Aird Report and the creation of the CBC helped the country in its early days develop a national identity. These media policies did this by ensuring Canadians were consuming Canadian content only and the content being produced was targeted to bring unity and ideological agreeance within the population.

Week 12

isaacwong21 — 2023-12-06 06:49:41 UTC

After paying attention to my news consumption throughout the week, I realized that my news sources are limited and not credible at all. I don't watch the news very much or read many news articles, and don't listen to the radio anymore during car rides because I use my playlists while driving. I realized that my knowledge about current events and the news is usually from word of mouth and hearing about these events in conversation with my friends and family. If I hear of news, typically it is from social media, where I see the odd post on Twitter, Instagram, etc. These news sources are not credible and I will be trying to consume more news from credible sources, like news on the radio or TV, or read a couple of articles on CBC online.

Week 14

isaacwong21 — 2023-12-06 07:12:41 UTC

Over this semester I have learned a lot of new things, met new people, and experienced many different ups and downs. One of the most compelling and inspiring topics I learned from this class was our discussions about audience reception and fan activism. I was fascinated with how fans who aligned with their favourite characters acted and were inspired to make a meaningful impact in the world in which they live. Studying this topic inspired me to find a fictional character that I align with and think of different ways I can make an impact in this society.

The reason why I was so interested in this topic of fan activism and audience reception studies was because it challenged my understanding of communication and media studies. Before coming into this course I did not know how much of an impact media made on a society, as well as how much of an impact society and individuals have on media content.

I think after studying different ways communication works like signifier and signified and Stuart Hall's model for communication. It has helped my communication skills in my work (Referee), and personal life. I believe that I have improved my ability to act and communicate confidently at my job as well as with my friends and family. Not only have I improved my in-person communication skills, but I believe I have a better understanding of how to effectively communicate my thoughts and opinions online via text or email. I now understand the importance of font, colour, font size and so on.

Week 7

isaacwong21 — 2023-12-07 06:22:21 UTC

This week we watched a documentary with Naomi Klein, No Logo. I learned a lot from the film, but what intrigued me the most was the ideas about brand nirvana and brand bombing. I was fascinated by how much evidence and examples Naomi had on these topics and how it was so prominently shown in public spaces within society. What also got my attention was how I've realized that people in society don't even realize it or feel like they are being marketed to when seeing these advertisements.

After watching this documentary, the idea from Dallas Smythe, "no free lunch", comes into mind. Talking about how audiences are fed advertisements without the audience realizing it interests me. The advertisements on sporting events, bus stops, and YouTube ads feel like white noise and most of the time get skipped over by people. But in reality, due to the constant exposure and mass marketing, over time, people have a sense of the product and the advertisements get stuck in people's heads like a catchy song.

I don't think branding and ad culture have changed much since the screening first came out. This is shown in today's TV programs, streaming services, and social media. As well as on billboards, bus stops and busses, and almost anywhere an advertisement will fit. This seems to be the same as when brand bombing became a thing and if anything, it has become more popular and common in public spaces. I think brand culture has changed a little bit in insignificant ways to change the meaning behind brand culture, but the idea has only developed as technology and society developed from when the idea was first born. An example of this would be how more video advertisements are being used instead of print or digital photos of advertisements. This is because of the more recent use of Youtube, TV, websites, or streaming services that capture your attention and allow longer advertisements.