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FINAL-Complex TV

Television is the commonest accessory that is found in various households all over the world. Many families afford at least one television set. In the past, inherent viewing of the TV meant watching the various programs aired by preferred broadcasters. Populations relied on the various packages that contained diverse themes as their main way of enjoying leisure time. However, current trends display a different perspective. Today, a television set is not the only platform available for watching aired programs. The rapid innovations in the technological sector have led to the rise of various video platforms enabled through the use of internet.

The use of mobile phone devices and computers enables individuals to access programs at their own discretion. In fact, Mittell states that U.S. internet users spent 18 hours watching online videos in February 2014 alone (5). The statistics display the level of dynamism in the entertainment industry. The vibrant alterations in the video industry have threatened the parties involved in traditional television content for instance, the broadcast stations and satellite television service providers. In the light of these aspects, executive producers have reverted to the implementation of unique but fascinating ways of telling their stories. Besides, the scripts are formulated in a manner that leaves the audience in suspense, anticipating for more. This facet allows producers to create more drama through incorporating themes which entertain the audience.

Dimensions of Complex Television

Contemporary television is more complex largely due to increased multifaceted narratives, interesting plots and characterizations, which require a stricter viewer attention. Contrary to the past, television shows produced in recent times contains detailed elements which incorporate an array of themes. Specifically, Mittell explains that the new complexity arises from the fusion of normal happenings in the society, with technological aspects which create an interesting fiction genre (7). Besides, the length of the program scripts allows the directors to generate newer ideas on a routine basis, an aspect that contributes to the longevity of shows. In the light of this aspect, the popularity of modern television shows continues to thrive, with its ramifications felt amongst a wider audience (Cha). In fact, the shows have transformed the mainstream television arena and enhanced the success of complex storylines through a large following. Through this unwavering influence, the production of current television programs observes the aspect of quality.

Particularly, directors and producers encode complex television texts with a denser meaning through a precise depiction of imagery. Notably, they include multiple characterizations that fit and act according to the storyline. The television series contain continuous but elaborate conspiracy plots, which are fused with fictional aspects to make them captivating (Mittell 6). One major facet incorporated in their formulation is averting plot closure. Mainly, each episode employs a specific but relevant technique to ensure the buildup of more and newer content.

The advent of complex television has created massive competition amongst various video providers.  Specifically, the emergence of cable television programs has changed the industry to significant levels. Content providers strive to air the programs with entrancing and longer content, in the quest to attract more viewers. Currently, the new generation of linear network television is the most preferred. Content providers like Netflix, Verizon, Time Warner Cable and Comcast allow subscribers to watch their favorite programs, and can even switch the save mode if they do not arrive on time. These aspects have made television viewing more complex than ever.

Narcos: Critical Analysis

Netflix is one of the content providers of television content in the contemporary TV world. Recently, it released Narcos, a hit series that has captivated audiences all over the world. In fact, it was amongst the most watched program after its release in the United States and Latin America. From the moment Narcos debuted on the screens, Egan states that it displayed a different perspective from other famous hit shows (342). It demonstrates a story about the most famous drug lord of all times, Pablo Gaeviria Escobar. The plot itself is epic by definition. Gaeviria Escobar ran the dreaded Medellin Cartel in the early 80s, and through its drug peddling operations, he amassed a net worth of more than $30 billion. Escobar was the richest drug lord ever to grace the face of the earth. In fact, the Forbes Magazine ranked him as the 7th richest person in the world in 1987 (Jaramillo 4698). The Medellin Cartel hired more employees that most giant companies combined during their peak of operations.

Narcos Overview

The series entails the life and dealings of Pablo Escobar. He lived as one of the most feared drug lords of his era. The program depicts the horrifying lives drug handlers underwent, especially when Pablo was establishing his empire. He killed many of his rivals and snitches, in the quest to warrant a loyal army. Narcos displays the manner in which Escobar controlled the town of Medellin, by bribing all the top commanders of the police force, and securing the backing of influential individuals in Colombia, especially the Congress (Egan 340). Pablo starts by transporting small amounts of cocaine, after which he advanced his empire to producing tons of the drug. According to the series, he is credited with the smuggling of the largest consignments of cocaine into the U.S., through Miami and Los Angeles.  

The program depicts how Escobar amassed considerable amounts of wealth, to an extent he constructed his compound which looked like a park. He imported exotic animals like hippopotamuses and rhinoceroses. Albeit the series focuses on the immoral acts of Escobar, he is displayed as a generous individual. In his home town of Medellin, he built tens of thousands of houses for people for free. He was a revered hero amongst the poor in the Colombian society, an aspect that sky-rocketed his popularity. Narcos depicts the manner in which Escobar influenced the leftist and rightist parties to facilitate his path to parliament. However, it took the intervention of one Rodrigo Lara, the minister of defense to compel Escobar towards the exit from the representative role. In the long run, Escobar sent his sicarios, a collection of loyal hit men to assassinate the minister of defense. At this moment, the government declared war on Escobar. The conflicts led to the death of Luis Galan, a presidential candidate tipped to win the looming election. With the intervention of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) from the U.S, Escobar was killed in a shootout while escaping.

Cultural Aspect

Narcos has received considerable praise compared to negative criticism; especially in the manner it incorporated cultural aspects. The manner in which it displays the life of Escobar is captivating. Caught between the moral rhetoric that upholds the legitimacy of fighting drugs and exoticism, the series provides its audience with an entertaining and seductive version of the Colombian culture and history, amid some levels of manipulation. The producers incorporate the aspect of cultural sensitivity and accuracy, a factor that promotes the relevance of Narcos’ intended message. Contrary to other popular shows produced in the United States that use English as the main language, Narcos uses Spanish, as the perfect approach to display the setting of the series (Egan 345). Besides, it incorporates the use of subtitles as an interpretation style, leading to a better and wider understanding of the events. Besides, most of the scenes were filmed in Colombia and therefore, the audience gets to enjoy the feeling of the country’s largest cities and jungle sceneries. Albeit the scenes in the country act as props than the essential element of the story, the audience experiences the real Colombian culture, particularly the one along the Medellin terrain and the outskirts of Bogota.

Main Character and Geography

The producers ensured they captured the attention of the audience through applying all the forms of relevance available. Notably, Escobar, who is the main character of the story, is played by Wagner Moura, who is Brazilian. The choice was influenced by the need to elaborate the Colombian culture. Moura resembles Escobar to a certain degree, an aspect that helps display the show’s orientalist approach towards depicting the exact happenings during his era (Egan 347). Additionally, the manner in which Narcos treats location and geography is similar to how the producers employ the language aspect. Specifically, it clings to an identifiable element, which is authentic to a foreigner.  The manner in which the producers use the scenes helps bring about an almost real picture.

Flaws of Narcos

Despite the efforts of the producers to depict the real events during Escobar’s life, the incorporation of Wagner Moura was a setback. The actor struggles with a thick Portuguese accent, an aspect that may not thrill the original Spanish speakers, especially Colombian viewers. Besides, the geographical settings do not apply precisely in some scenes. For instance, it is apparent that the Colombian terrain is covered by tropical forests. This aspect is not clearly elaborated when agent Murphy is on a plane with his wife (Egan 349). Besides, the show’s legitimization of the war on drugs by the United States on Colombia is tantamount to creating unnecessary divisions (Egan 349). In fact, some factions of the Colombian audience opposed the production of the series, citing evocation of unnecessary ill emotions. Besides, the movie depicts Escobar as an influential person in the society. In fact, through the program, Pablo Escobar is larger than he was alive. Narcos does not elaborate in details that the money from narcotics, although put in good use for instance building houses, was immoral. Particularly, many innocent police officers died under the orders from Escobar.

Conclusion

Television is a vital accessory in households today. Broadcasters air programs that captivate their audiences. In the contemporary world, various content providers strive to air quality content which incorporates various themes. Besides, the television viewing has transformed from the normal TV sets to the use of computers and internet-enabled phones. The rate of viewership has increased recent days, especially in the U.S. This aspect is due to the availability of captivating programs alike the Narcos Series. The program is about a famous drug lord that lived in Colombia, Pablo Escobar. The manner in which the producers depict the character helps the audience capture the real feeling. However, the employment of some scenarios diverts from the real intention of the movie. Despite these setbacks, Narcos is interesting to watch.

     Works Cited

Cha, Jiyoung. “Television Use in the 21st Century: An Exploration of Television and Social Television Use in a Multiplatform Environment.” First Monday, vol. 21, no. 2, 2016.

Egan, Beth Donnelly. “Can the Sanctity of Journalism be Maintained in an Era of Native Advertising? Case study of Netflix.” Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing, vol. 4, no. 4, 2017, pp. 339-51.

Mittell, Jason. Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling. NYU Press, 2015.

Jaramillo, Catalina M. “Pablo Escobar: Zoomania in the Narco Imperium. The Glorification of The Cocaine Network.” The Design Journal vol. 20, no. 1, 2017, pp. 4697-709.

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LGBT in Television shows

According to Reuters, the number of LGBTQ actors and characters in the United States television shows has increased rapidly since the acceptance of LGBT culture. People now accept and respect LGBTQ, while those resisting, are slowly changing their attitude towards LGBT. Diversity is still a challenge, with overrepresentation of white men in television shows (Pullen, 14). A variety of television shows from different decades, helps us understand how LGBTQ values have been portrayed, focusing mainly on their sexual attitudes and relationships.

“Tales of the City” is a television miniseries directed by Alastair Reid. It is based on the novel Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin.  It features a mix of straight and LGBTQ residents from 28th Barbary Lane, San Francisco.  Initially, the characters are reluctant to reveal their sexual life considering that the miniseries was released at a time when the LGBTQ culture was illegal in U.S.A and U.K. where the show premiered.

Dorothy Wilson is a lesbian model who is in a relationship with Mona Ramsey. The miniseries does not reveal their sexual deeds, but they are shown romancing from time to time. Anna Madrigal is exposed as transgender from male to female, and is blackmailed by Norman, who threatens to reveal her past. Mary Ann Singleton gets into a relationship with her boss’ son-in-law, not knowing that he was cheating on his wife. She later undergoes a traumatic experience, concerning a friend’s suicide, and in her vulnerable state, takes to drugs. There is also DeDe who gets pregnant by a grocer she is having an affair with, and to keep her secret from being exposed by a journalist, is forced to sleep with him. Thus, the miniseries not only throws light on the sexual attitudes of people in America, but also the vulnerability and victimization of women.

“Queer as Folk” (QAF) is a television series that premiered in the US from the year 2000 to 2005. The British-based film was produced by Showtime portraying the lives of homosexual women and men. In season 4, both Dusty and Melanie Marcus are described as lesbians who are friends with Lindsay Peterson. Lindsay is a bisexual having an affair with Sam Auerbach. They are showcased as happy friends who achieve sexual pressure from each other. In the series, we see the maternal instincts of Melanie and Lindsay being brought to the fore as they get pregnant through artificial insemination. Their motherhood is important to them, as they get into a legal battle with Michael and Brian for custody of their children.

“When We Rise” is a miniseries that premiered on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from February 2017. The show was created by Lance Black to advocate the rights of LGBT specifically in San Francisco. The actors are drawn from a real-life situation, therefore, adding authenticity to the characters. There is Roma, who fights for women’s rights, especially that of safety, and for universal health care. There is also Diane who is an AIDS worker, and expresses her desire, as a lesbian, to have a child. As portrayed in “Tales of the City”, LGBTQ culture was initially facing a lot of opposition and resistance. Television shows were banned from showcasing LGBTQ characters , but with time all that has changed, especially after the acceptance of the LGBTQ and the realization of the troubles lesbians face. Recently, television shows have recorded the highest number of characters with LGBT characters and shows.

 Work Cited

Pullen, Christopher. LGBT Transnational Identity and the Media. Springer, 2012.

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Comparing Old and Contemporary Films

A close comparison of episodes from older films with those from contemporary ones reveals a wide range of differences. These show an ever-evolving film industry that has continuously experimented with styles, themes, and techniques. For example, the cinematographic techniques employed in the 1959 television series, The Twilight Zone are less defined and simpler than those used in the 2011 science fiction series, Black Mirror. The older film is in black and white print. Apart from depriving the film of the stylistic flourish that is typical of most contemporary creations, the limited color variety also diminishes the overall visual appeal of The Twilight Zone. On the other hand, Black Mirror flaunts a wide range of colors that are intelligently and effectively used to create the desired mood and affect the sensibilities of viewers.

Another aspect of difference manifests in the manner in which characters in the two films are treated. Contemporary films present three-dimensional characters with relatable traits, which help to engage the interest of audiences. For example, in the episode titled “The Entire History of You” from Black Mirror, the character traits of Liam and Ffion are developed with a profound sense of realism. This makes the audience engage more with the details of the incredible cinematic experience. The troubles in their relationship are realistic. They appear to be close approximations of issues that afflict ordinary relationships in our world. The only difference is that the director introduced the element of technology to show how the couple use special equipment to visualize their lives.

On the other hand, characters in older films appear less developed and act in ways that are more melodramatic. In the scene where the parents and their young children disagree on the subject of divorce, the parents behave in ways that are quite exaggerated. It is not natural for parents to speak to their children in casual and candid manners without caring for their sensibilities. The two episodes also differ in the element of storytelling. The older film is more direct in its approach towards portraying interpersonal engagement among its characters. On the contrary, the story in the “The Entire History of You” relied on multiple cues and various cinematographic techniques to enhance its quality.

Overall, the older and contemporary films differ in terms of technique, characterization, and presentation of aesthetic effects. The episode in The Twilight Zone is more simplistic and rendered in less complex technical details compared to the one in Black Mirror. Another distinguishing element is the manner in which the directors used light and sound in their respective films. In Black Mirror, these are used to create mood and moments of suspense. The sensibilities of the audience are profoundly affected in some critical moments of the episode because of the skillful handling of the aural and visual effects. The white and black aspect of The Twilight Zone does not achieve the same effect with equal profundity. The common impression is that the variations in the two films are consistent with the journey of technical advancements in the film industry.

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week1.2

Mr. Robot

Mr. Robot is an American thriller television series produced by Sam Esmail. The main character, Elliot Alderson, is a cyber security technician who suffers from clinical distress and social anxiety dysfunction. Elliot is hired by a radical revolutionary identified as "Mr. Robot," played by Christian Slater, to connect a gathering of hacktivists called "fsociety." The goal of the group is to erase all debt records by hacking E Corp, which is the biggest financial organization. Thus, while one can state that the serial reveals the issue of cybersecurity, considering the issue more comprehensively, it can be seen that the film released the point of a psychological breakdown.

First of all, it can be mentioned that the titles of Mr. Robot's episodes seem to carry two different applications. One correlates with a particular technical term compared to hacking, a mechanical movement being taken in the central plot of the specific series. At the same time, the other title associates to a character-based growth of the main hero. The particular naming structure of Mr. Robot mentioned above itself is not well-known as the conventional lyric or suggestive TV episode title. In that case, Mr. Robot is a provocative film due to an unusual on-screen depiction of the mental defects and coping devices. The series one and two attempts to apprehend the hacker culture correspondingly with a very original representation of ordinary cybercrime. The thriller is also freakish in its depiction of mental disorder, as opposed to failed efforts in some films where disabilities have been misrepresented or tiptoed around.

With this in mind, one can state that the show continually shifts the boundaries between the controversial topics such as sex, drugs, mental disorders, and brutality. Perhaps, the more relevant are the themes that the show proceeds in its complicated account of hacking the biggest conglomerate in the world with the purposes of property redistribution (Maciak). Accordingly, the character of the hero builds a complicated condition in which reality and illusion mix and make it difficult to be sure of anything. Aforementioned is one of the most prominent issues of the show as it is a problem that is not often adequately appreciated by many. Mr. Robot gives the audience an close view of how some psychological disorders influence people, and how important therapy is, as well as how necessary it is to understand that these people are just the ordinary individuals. They do not deserve to be segregated or mocked. To demonstrate, Elliot is an exceptionally bright character and indicates at least in the first series, and this is a deputy of the evidence that people with mental disabilities are not and should not be handled as less than others.

Many shows have noticed the audience within the narrative voiceovers and camera-facing speeches, but Mr. Robot has produced an original connection with its viewers through the stylistic features. There are a lot of disagreements to concentrate on in this series, but one of the most significant concerns the endless lies Elliot tells the viewers. Aforementioned has to be deliberate. As the show’s many pop culture implications have explained previously, such connection with the viewers is very in tune with the pop culture. Accordingly, in that first season of Mr. Robot, most of the music is sharpened on synths. The viewers can note the pulsing eighth-note bass lines and synth arpeggios are practiced widely. It also corresponds with drones and pads. Drum instruments, synth harmonies, and electronic effects are also broadly used in the episodes. Following the protagonist’s digitally turned life, the composition rarely includes acoustic devices, except for the random application of acoustic piano with long reverb.

The techniques used by the producers of the serial make Mr. Robot unusual with the low-angle shots that allow the viewer always to see the ceiling. In that case, Mr. Robot utilizes every visual tool at its determination to make application, and that is unique for TV series. Mr. Robot does not just have an individual style design as it takes a holistic strategy to storytelling that connects cinematography and camera movement as much as discussion and narrative construction of the series. This kind of application to a shot by shot construction is more traditional to feature filmmaking than it is to the TV for purposes of both logistics and custom (Maciak).

Giving the points mentioned above, one can assume that Mr. Robot is a unique piece of cinematography that is altogether different from the mainstream television series. The show can be regarded as the work interested in upsetting the self-satisfaction of the observer counting cinematic associates and pushing to point out implications. More than that, viewing the film one can ask if any of the actions occurred in the episodes are real as all the activities are complicated with the pinch of paranoia. Thus, the fact that the audience cannot believe Elliot is a frustrating, but it is also a prominent perspective of what presents Mr. Robot so unprecedented. The complicated association of the viewers with Elliot is a representation of television’s maturing narration.

  Works Cited

Maciak, Phillip. "Mr. Robot: Season 1 - Los Angeles Review Of Books". Los Angeles Review Of Books, 2015, https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/mr-robot-season-1/#!. Accessed 18 May 2018.

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week 1.1

Watching TV Makes You Smarter: Summary and Review

Summary

The article by Stephen Johnson highlights how watching television increases individuals’ cognitive capacities thus making them wiser than they are when they are not watching TV. The author gives the example of a Fox TV series “24” and how one ought to be conversant with the current issues in order to have a clue of what is happening (Johnson). Some decades ago, the media held the assumption that viewers wished for dumb programs that elicited simple pleasures. However, from the recent TV programs, it is evident that people no longer wish for simple programs that are easily understandable by anyone (Johnson). The current media audience seeks more complex and more pleasurable series that depict current issues, despite their severity.

From the episodes in the TV series ‘24’, it is apparent that viewers pursue more cognitively demanding programs. To understand a simple episode in the series, a viewer will have to incorporate information from incidents that happen across the world such as the September 11, 2001 attacks as well as shows viewed previously (Johnson). Without the background information, a viewer perceives most content on TV today as confusing and thus boring. Some people feel left behind if they fail to understand shows that depict current issues (Johnson). As such, they will have to equip themselves with information on current issues in order to enjoy today’s television programming.

Although shows such as ‘24’ have been accused of being biased by demonstrating a certain race or religion as being violent, they make up for this by being as real as possible instead of availing misleading content just to please the masses (Johnson). It is interesting to learn that this is what the contemporary viewers want. Viewers are compelled to be extremely attentive while watching shows such as ‘24’ in order to keep up with the happenings in the show. Besides, viewers ought to make inferences and track changing relationships in most shows that are aired on TV (Johnson). Failure to do this leaves the viewer behind and cannot connect what is happening in such shows.

The author calls the trend the ‘Sleeper Curve.’ Games, TV dramas and comedies that were earlier deemed to be extremely violent and thus less attracting to viewers have now become the norm in today’s TV programming. The author claims that the ‘Sleeper Curve’ has played a critical role in transforming the cognitive development of today’s young viewers (Johnson). Instead of watching the simple television programming that tends to dumb the young people’s minds, the more complicated storylines in contemporary shows help in improving their (young people’s) cognitive capacities. Nevertheless, some critics cite that content in the contemporary TV programs leads to increased violence and substance abuse among young people (Johnson). The author counters this by highlighting that contemporary media content tends to air what is real instead of soothing lies. The contemporary media content has significant cognitive benefits that include increased attention, patience, retention, as well as the analysis of narrative threads (Johnson). Today’s media programs lead to the creation of sharp viewers that comprehend even the most complex storylines.

Review

The article has critical strengths in that it depicts the shifts in today’s viewers and their increasing demands for quality media content. The author’s views are strong as they depict the real picture of today’s viewers, particularly the young viewers, and how their demands for more complex television dramas and other shows has led to their increased cognitive capacities (Johnson). It is apparent that today’s shows have changed dramatically. Earlier on, viewers were more satisfied with dramas that were simple to understand and less violent. However, as Johnson puts it, these shows did not avail a true picture of what was happening in the real world. The violence that happened at the time was concealed as it was believed that it would corrupt the young people’s mind. However, it does more harm than good when people are kept in the dark regarding what is happening and people ought to understand real issues that are affecting the world through various media programs (Johnson). As such, the author’s views are accurate and show the paradigm shifts in the demands of today’s viewers.

The author excellently depicts the cognitive benefits of watching today’s programming as opposed those of the previous decades. It is true that for an individual to understand (and enjoy) most of today’s television drama series, they have to be attentive to grasp even the slightest information aired in those shows (Johnson). They have to be sharp enough to comprehend the unfolding drama in most of today’s drama. If a viewer fails to follow a particular show even for a short time, he or she finds it difficult to understand subsequent shows and thus feels left behind when other viewers are discussing the happenings in the show (Johnson).

The contemporary actors are also more sophisticated and are characterized by speaking faster, without caring whether the audience grasps their intended message or not. Actors in today’s show utter witty remarks and avoid the ‘sitcom’ clichés that characterized shows that were aired a number of decades ago (Johnson). They expect viewers to be intelligent and have enough background information to understand what happens in their dramas. Contemporary shows are mentally stimulating as they provoke creativity, memory, and imagination among viewers (Johnson). It is thus apparent that today’s shows are cognitively demanding than their predecessors decades earlier.

Another critical strength in the author’s views lies in his use of today’s shows. He has highlighted many of today’s show to bring out his message on how watching today’s TV shows increases one’s cognitive capacities. I agree with the author that today’s television dramas such as ‘24’, ‘The Sopranos’, and ‘ER’ among others incorporate complicated threads of characters that depict real issues that ought to be viewed during the night (Johnson). The shows incorporate distinct characters to bring out the intended message of today’s social issues and how they impact people’s daily lives. When viewers follow these shows, they become engaged and are filled with the pleasure of solving puzzles and understanding mysteries (Johnson). Such shows avail endless hours of mentally stimulating entertainment as viewers attempt to resolve recurrent and emerging issues in the shows.

On the other hand, while the author’s views have been seen to have critical strengths in depicting how today TV shows lead to mental stimulation, they are not without some weaknesses. For one, the author has a generalized perspective that today’s shows are intellectually stimulating while their predecessors were not. While it is true that most of today’s shows offer interesting storylines that improve young viewers’ cognitive capacities, there exists a number of shows that are dumb and do not engage one’s intelligence (Johnson). The author has only highlighted some shows that are intellectually stimulating as his examples to prove his point. Nevertheless, he ought to have pointed out others that do not contribute to the viewers’ intellectual capacity. Besides, it is wrong to generalize that all shows in the earlier decades were not cognitively demanding. While most of the earlier TV programs were simple to understand and lacked engaging mysteries, there exists a number of earlier shows that were extremely interesting and intellectually stimulating as the contemporary ones (Johnson). Some TV shows aired today also give a false perception of today’s reality. Such shows only serve to increase stereotypes among members of the society.

Another critical weakness lies in the fact that the author counters the violence that is elicited in the contemporary TV dramas. While it is prudent to air shows that depict the real picture about the contemporary issues around the world, it is unwise to air shows that are extremely violent. Such shows lead to increased violence among viewers as well as the abuse of drugs (Johnson). It is evident that individuals who frequently watch violent and stereotyped shows have a higher likelihood of being violent and biased against some people.  

In conclusion, Stephen Johnson’s article highlights the significance of watching television by highlighting that it is mentally stimulating and thus increases cognitive strengths, particularly among young people. Johnson supports his arguments by pointing out TV dramas such as ‘24’ and highlighting how it is intellectually stimulating. For a viewer to understand episodes in the drama series, he or she has to have some background information on current issues. Besides, the viewer has to be intelligent enough to solve puzzles and mysteries that exist in most of today’s shows. However, while his views prove to have critical strengths based on the way in which he supports them, they may be fallacious. His generalized ideas that watching all shows has cognitive benefits may be misleading as some contemporary shows are both dumb and offensive. Besides, some shows tend to glorify violence and lack any intellectual stimulation.  

 Works Cited

Johnson, Stephen. “Watching TV Makes You Smarter.” The Times New York, Times, 24 Apr. 2005, www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/magazine/watching-tv-makes-you-smarter.html.

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Final

Postmodernism in Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell is filled with sections of violence and deep thoughts with frequent shifts in the tone that can leave the audience feeling confused in some instances. The imagery within the movie presents many conventions. For example, the image of Major Mira Killian, played by Scarlett Johansson, is that of a female cyborg that is scantily dressed with a gun on one hand, is a core example of a cyberpunk woman. She removes her clothes to bring out her camouflage; she shoots the people believed to be evil and is visually quite low regarding being a concept within the science fiction industry that is dominated by males. The manner in which her image and character is set up and presented at least in the film's first scenes links to a process where the makers of the movie will strive to create characters that are intensely sexual and violent as a way to appeal to the potentially male audience. However, while the film's imagery makes up the vast majority of Ghost in the shell, an experience of the movie's trailer significantly moves from the promises to fulfill the fan’s pleasures and instead creates a way for the audience to challenge the overall theory of the movie. In this regard, the film encourages the audience to move between what they see in the film's trailer and what they are thinking of.

Ghost in the Shell and Postmodernism

The ghost within the film is referred to as a sort of soul for robots, a place where memories, experiences as well as beliefs are contained. The ghost is what Major Killian is attempting to get back as it is what will present her the chance to become different from another robot concerning personality as well as action. The threat that comes with the hacking is personal separation, where the body of the robot is separated from the components that make up its individuality (Arad, Paul & Sanders, 2017). The robot then gets false memories as well as beliefs, a whole new personality that replaces the one they have managed to create for themselves. On the other hand, the shell refers to the robotic body, in Major Killian’s case these are the components as well as wires that are distinct from the ghost.  An individual’s ghost can live within any shell; however, the shell only provides the robot with physical independence as opposed to mental strength. Major Killian's ghost has been replaced with a shell that is quite powerful, allowing her to engage in extreme actions that display her strength as well as agility and a powerful form of sexualisation. Killian's shell acts in the way it is supposed to; she engages in violence as has been designed as well as programmed to do (Arad et al., 2017).

On the other hand, her ghost sees her becoming more distant from the actions carried out by her body. As her shell continues on its normal path, her ghost begins to rebel and question whether it is true that she had a family or the extent to which what she had been told was true. In one of the trailer's sequences, Killian softly caresses the face of another woman looking deeply into her eyes. The woman asks Killian who she is and Killian appears to seriously consider this question (Arad et al., 2017).

Killian seems to reconsider herself and her beliefs

This issue appears to trigger within Killian a sense of thought about herself, driving her to reflect on the manner in which her personality is structured in alignment with the technology that seems to have defined her. In another instance, she admits to a colleague who asks her why she does not speak much about her past, that she is unable to remember what she was like and that her memories are pretty much what she has been told by the woman who helped to create her. This points to the limitations that her shell provides concerning making her a complete person (Daniels, Gregory and Cottom, 2016). All these thoughts lead to her capture where she is told again that whatever she believed to be true was not so. The removal of her face by the other robot enables her to share a new consciousness where her ghost and the shell are no longer separate from each other. She begins to consider whether there were other cyborgs before her and her thoughts and perceptions ultimately push her actions. She gets to a point where she acknowledges in the final part of the trailer that even though she was created, she can make her independent decisions (Arad et al., 2017).

 Killian’s shell and mind come together to create a new consciousness

     The world might not have evolved to change people into cybernetic shells, we struggle with the aspect of keeping our bodies and minds separate from the technology that surrounds us. In spite of the growing sophistication of technology, the world is becoming darker. The fear that is apparent in major Killian's world is that of technology taking over to the extent that human beings become useless and irrelevant. While we might have believed at one time that religion or political ideology shapes humanity, it is evident in the movie's trailer that this change occurs because of technological development (Franssen, Vermaas, Kroes and Meijers, 2016).      Technology has significantly changed our perspectives and manner in which we see the world. The virtual world has seemingly spilled into our personal space enabling us to model our appearances as well as behaviors from the disconnected forms that can be seen in magazines as well as movies. People visit forums as well as Twitter before they get it face to face. However, in some instance, the information we get from technology overwhelms us to the extent that the truth and what is a lie begin to merge, in much the same way they occurred in Major Killian's case. Technology has virtually destroyed the core notion of what reality means engaging in deconstruction as well as reconstruction (Daniels et al., 2016). Ghost in the Shell sets out that reality is all about information with little difference from fantasy.

In conclusion, Ghost in the Shell trailer encourages the audience to think closely about their humanity. The trailer seems to suggest that the body and the mind are two aspects that cannot exist without each other as they cultivate a deeper sense of consciousness and enables us to tap into our personalities and individualism. Technology has seemingly made its way into every aspect of our daily lives, and the trailer appears to show the fear that at one point technology will take over to the extent that human beings lose their relevance and importance.

 References

Arad, A., Paul, S. & Sanders, R. (2017). Ghost in the Shell. [ Motion Picture]. USA: Paramount Pictures.

Daniels, J., Gregory, K., & Cottom, T.M. (2016). Digital sociologies. New York: Policy Press.

Franssen, M., Vermaas, P., Kroes, P., & Meijers, A.W.M. (2016). Philosophy of technology after the Empirical turn. New York: Springer.

   upport*�v�F�

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week 9

One of the most interesting aspects of the movie Blade Runner is that it prompts the audience to imagine the future. The story occurs in a futuristic city and features a police officer (Harrison Ford) who moves through the streets. The role of the police officer in this case involves the elimination of a group of artificial people or replicants. The replicants are the amazingly constructed human like robots that have escaped a far-off planet and are attempting to impose themselves on the Earth. In his quest to eliminate the replicants, the police officer falls in love with one of them. The film prompts thoughts regarding the extent to which robots can be human and the scope to which humans can be robots. In the current era of technological advancements, such questions seem highly viable.

      The film is notable for proposing the prospect of what it means to be a human being. At the same time, it addresses the possibility of creating human experiences in an artificial manner. The majority of philosophers concur that having a mind is fundamental to being human. The analysis of the film reveals that the replicants have powerful thought processes and minds. For instance, some of them have the ability of playing chess and winning against human opponents. Even in the current era, chess represents a game that requires powerful minds and formidable thought processes. This aspect reveals the notion that machines have managed to surpass humans in terms of intelligence. However, the point of achieving high levels of intelligence does not imply that robots have evolved to becoming humans.

      The power and mind of robots are not enough to qualify them as human beings. Robots are creations, which do not have a purpose of their own. They are engineered to be slaves. Therefore, they are not organic. Even if they followed a natural evolution process like humans, robots lack consciousness. Perhaps, they can achieve the point of being humans if they attain intentionality. Intentionality in this context relates to the ability of the robots to have their own beliefs, motivations, and desires. At this point, the robots should exhibit key aspects such as the fullest range of human cognitive abilities. The abilities include sentience, consciousness, and self-awareness. However, even the analysis of the technological advancements in the realms of artificial intelligence and robotics reveals that this point only exists in the arena of science fiction.

      The endeavor of determining the scope to which humans have become more like machines requires proper definition of the concept of being human. The traits that define and distinguish humans from machines include intelligence, rational and irrational thinking, common sense, and emotions. For instance, emotions tend to make humans behave in an irrational manner. However, placing humans in environments designed to ensure that they behaved in a perfectly rational manner would trigger them to act like machines. Environments that limit free will and autonomy have the enhanced potential of achieving a similar effect. Such environments influence the behavior of humans. However, they are devoid of measures necessary for allowing humans to author their own lives.

      For instance, the advances in the realm of technology have led to scenarios where people often respond to stimulus without necessarily comprehending the situations into which they are getting themselves. This form of techno-social engineering has triggered humans to behave in machine or robot-like ways. Increased levels of surveillance and varying nudges have resulted in altering the manner in which people behave.

      Humans start to be more machine or robot-like in cases where they lose their ability to reflect on their experiences. For example, the cases that require people to track their actions through varying devices tend to have some key effects. Chief among these effects is the fact that such an activity reduces the ability of the person to reflect on his or her behavior. In this manner, they lose the freedom to lie or exaggerate if they chose. This aspect makes them more machine or robot-like.

      This particular example represents the manner in which the culture of surveillance alters the behavior of people to other predisposition. The combination of this culture along with the various technologies that track activities in different contexts produces some key behavioral effects. For instance, it leads people to perform activities without thinking about them. Therefore, they perform tasks and follow prompts in the same way machines and robots do. Some aspects of technology have given way to the creation and sustenance of environments and situations where people are increasingly becoming and behaving like machines. However, the point at which people will change their behavior is still a significantly long way off. The events taking place in this context represent the effects of technology on the behavior of people. They do not necessarily represent the evolution of people towards becoming machines. I perceive that conditioning people fully into machines is still the field of science fiction.

      Although I do not believe that humans will change their behavior the the point where they behave like robots, the film gives a lot of food for thought concerning the future of modern technologies. I think that the film makes us delve into the question of what it means to be humans and where the boundary between humans ans robots can be found.

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week 8

“The Matrix” is the Wachowskis’ blockbuster that was filmed back in 1999 and created the great sensation on the screens back then. The movie offered the post-modern perspective on the reality of the end of the twentieth century based on the discussion of the excess of technological advancements in the life of people. Notably, such trends as the fear of global computer network collapse because of the new millennia coming created the background for the film to appear. In addition to the astonishing success of the film at the box office, it served as the start point of the new wave of discussion about the nature of the observed reality and its ways of interaction with human consciousness. Moreover, the movie incorporates the variety of quotes that can be analyzed from the points of the influence on the structure of the film and general meaning of the sayings. Thus, the quote by Morpheus, “What is real? How do you define real?” can be used as the major analysis point for the whole movie, its structure, and meaning.

The concept of reality has always been troubling great philosophers and scientists ever from the blossom of ancient civilizations up to the present day. It is amazing that the paradoxical conclusions about the surrounding world appear to be the same either today or two thousand years ago. One thing is clear; the perceived world creates more questions than gives the answers about the own structure and people’s interpretation of the brain. However, “The Matrix” places such items into the center of narrative and deeply philosophical quotes appear almost all the time during the movie. Morpheus tried to ask this question Neo to transform his perception once and for all which serves as the important trigger in the film.

As the traditional structure of the Hollywood movie stands, “The Matrix” is also divided into three parts. Though it is a trilogy, the first film serves as an introduction and the first section of the plot development timeline. In fact, before the scene when the quote is used, Neo lives his regular life in the artificially-created Matrix not realizing that the world around is just a blank illusion. The importance of the quote is evident within the plot because it creates the start point towards Neo’s transformation from the insipid office inhabitant to the epic hero in the black coat wielding the steel staff. The quote is also important to emphasize the scene when the core concepts about the reality are being reversed either for Neo and the viewers. Thus, everybody gets acquainted with the core code of how the plot works within the context of the provided concept. Also, the quote is one in the series of a few which create the conflict in the plot because once left Matrix, a person cannot continue living past life.

To sum up, “The Matrix” is the unique movie from the point of redefining the ideas of the perception of reality by the human brain. It conveys the variety of ideas about the nature of reality and its perception. Moreover, the discussed quote functions as the key element in the plot development making the smooth transition between plot intro and development stage. All in all, “The Matrix” is the best choice to watch because of the distinct movie structure and strange ideas in the center of the storyline.

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black mirror

There are 3 key layers of reality exemplified in the British science fiction TV anthology series the Black Mirror (Series 3, Episode 2). The episode is a continuation of the dark and satirical themes that seek to examine the contemporary society, predominantly with a gaze at the unforeseen effect of new technologies. This paper seeks to analyze the layers of reality in episode 2 with a closer look at the physical reality, augmented reality, and hyper-reality. Explanation of how these layers affect cognition will later be mentioned in this paper with closer illustrations of the characters view and the audience perspective. 

Physical Reality 

The episode dubbed “Playtest” focused on the story of Cooper (Wyatt Russell). The physical reality in the episode is highly epitomized with camera’s motions that show his travels around the world. Cooper finally accepts a one-time job offer from a video game company. We can notice how people appear to run their daily activities through the mirrors of reality. The intention of the director is to communicate the film in unique ways. The physical world is showcased with a backup of its realities in a manner that is not easily viewed through the customary human senses. This episode is unique because of its abilities to hold the attention of the audience through its revealing functions and recording functions. In recording functions, we see inanimate objects, Cooper’s movements, and nascent motions. His movements bring about a continuity of thrilling physical actions with a spectacular conclusion in its finale. 

Augmented Reality 

The vicious take on social media in episode 2 of Black Mirror gives life to augmented reality. There is a direct and indirect view of the real-world environment. However, its elements are augmented by replicated sensory features such as video, sound, GPS or graphical data. The encounter between Cooper and Saito reveals that augment reality has been used to bring out the mediated reality in a process that modifies the views of reality through computer tricks. The use of a device like Microsoft-Holo lens helps the characters to trace a world of augmentation in real time and the semantic milieu with environmental elements. Subjects are slumped into a haunted house. We can see how their minds produce the scares, but none is real since the Mushroom device at Cooper’s neck transmits the events.   The quick turn of events where Cooper sends Sonja a photo of the device is an augmented reality. 

Hyper Reality 

Hyper-reality is professionally typified in this episode through a presentation of a stimulating and kaleidoscopic vision of the future. There is an evident merge of physical and virtual realities. The use of technology takes center stage in the portrayal of these hyper-realities. It also seeks to intertwine the virtual and physical realities. Cooper has self-generated fears connected to the hyper-realistic spider. We can notice that his childhood bully is dressed as a creep in the oldies and a bizarrely giant spider with the bully face.  Experts may explain this as tapping someone’s dream in a process that combines memories, images and fears blending them together into unrealistic phantoms that are designed to be terrifying due to the piled layers of emotional baggage that the individuals carry. 

Augmented reality is revealed in scenes where Cooper is present in the haunted house. Kate is in his ear, and this makes his mind to slowly begin to churn out circumstances and characters that are less eccentric but much more despicable. A good illustration is a scene that shows Sonja tracking him to the haunted house with a deep revelation that Saito’s last tests are missing. They need to run away before the unexpected happens to them. 

How Do These Layers Affect Cognition?

The layers discussed above affect cognition to both the characters and the audience of the film.  We can notice how it becomes difficult at some point to acquire knowledge and comprehend what is being exemplified. The use of technology also changes the viewer’s perspective. For instance, many viewers will fail to understand the films’ concept if the technology does not apply in their real life. We can notice that there is the presence of emotional responses to the characters in this categorization of the film. Firstly, as a horror genre, it presents intense emotions that finally influence the genre categorization. Cognition is affected because the basic dimension of emotions arouses different understanding of specific events to the audience. Technology takes a different twist in this episode altering cognition. Audiences at home seem to struggle in understanding some scenes. 

In conclusion, the use of these layers of realities gives the episode an upper hand in its genre as a horror film. Hoverer, its layers, and the combination of different scenes seem to affect cognition of the characters and its audience. It is hard to foretell the subsequent events in the episode, and this plays an upper hand in the director’s point of view.

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monster2.

Fiction used to describe some imagined creatures called monsters. They possess inhuman and supernatural power and tend to harm people. However, in his book, Cohen claims that monsters also live in a real world. In “Monster Culture,” the author broadly discusses and investigates monsters in connection with the cultures to which they are bound. Thus, albeit there are fictional monsters, real people may become monsters too by revealing their culture’s values and aims. In Cohen’s essay, monsters are classified according to seven various aspects concerning the appearance of monsters, their character, and representation. One of the great examples of contemporary monsters is the current president of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin who is going to be analyzed according to seven theses designed by Cohen. 

The first these states that monster is always a symbol and representation of a culture he or she lives in. They come to power due to a certain situation in the culture, and are in fact “an embodiment of a certain cultural moment.” (Cohen 3). Although some people may reject the fact that Putin resembles current state of Slavic culture, the majority of people who chose him to represent the country on the global stage confirm it. It is not a secret that Russia is one of the most corrupt countries all around the world, and, as was stated by Stratfor authors, Putin won election owing to the huge bribery machinations on the state level. 

Second these states that monster always gets away. Monsters can never be caught or if they do, they can return. Moreover, Cohen specifies that monster may change form or dress, but it will come back sooner or later (5). Everybody who is interested in the politics knows that after the Putin's first term has expired the new president came, Dmitriy Medvedev. Nevertheless, Stratfor Editors assure that Medvedev was only a marionette in tenacious hands of Putin. Thus,  one may conclude that Putin has come to power once again but in another shape. Moreover, it is a common fact that now Putin serves his second term on the position of the Russian President. Therefore, while the theory of changing shape can be condemned, it cannot be disputed that Putin as a real monster has come to power for the second time. 

The fourth these explains that monsters are composed of the things that are understood differently. Cohen believes that monsters always believes on the opposite side when the majority of people accepts another idea or holds something to be true. The bright example of that is current war situation in the neighboring Rusian country, Ukraine. The part of country's land was annexed, the Russian military facilities have shot down the aircraft, and part of the Eastern land serves as a ground of warfare, and still Putin denies his complicity to any of these malefactions. Moreover, as it has been mentioned above the monster is an embodiment of its culture. thus, many Russian also cannot believe that their president is steeped in blood up to the elbow.

Fifth, monsters can warn about the unknown and unpleasant. They represent the ideas that scare people and in that way, they will not have a desire to look deeper and investigate the problem. Putin is always criticizing American democracy and tries to stick to political methods of his predecessors - Stalin and Lenin. There is no such term as the liberty of speech in Russia. In fact, it exists but for any uncontrolled and undesired criticism, a person can be put into jail.

The sixth these tells that monsters have strange ideas about gender roles, aggression, and domination. They can freely destroy and harm people, feeling no guilt from authority. The example is numerous cases of gender inequality, the ban of watching old childish cartoon because they seem to promote unrealistic and destructive relationships between people. Putin gives no chance for LGBT community to exist, he eradicates any bud of future free society, and Slavic culture sustains its idea by rejecting the fact that one day they all will be happy.

All things considered it is necessary to point out that in today's world monsters do exist. Nevertheless, according to Cohen, their existence is conditioned not by people's desire to have authority but due to their necessity to the modern culture. In fact, such monsters help to understand who people are, and whom they may become. Each nation deserves its ruler, they choose the leader which will resemble their own fears and desires, will share their perverted attitudes, or shy ambitions. In conclusion, monsters inspire people to examine their own culture, to create the presumptions about other cultures, and ask each other and oneself why all the cultures, nations, and people are so different. Monsters invite people to investigate their minds and find their true beliefs. I have chosen exactly Putin because I am not satisfied with his current way to conduct policy, and he is a remarkable example how the leader may spoil the overall impression from the culture. 

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week 4

The Seven Theses in “Monster Culture” by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen

Various concepts, ideas, and theories can be used to frame how we view the world and how we define ourselves. Today’s world can only be described as “media-saturated.” This view prompts us to use philosophical elements to analyze the world and ourselves. One of the philosophies that can be used for this purpose is the concept of the monste by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. He argues that the monster is “an embodiment of difference” (Cohen). The term “difference” captures a vast array of qualities that inspire uncertainty and fear in its creators. These qualities include racial, sexual, ideological and cultural aspects. A monster can also be characterized as a “disturbing hybrid” that is not subject to characterization because hybridity is against nature. Although most monsters are fictional, real people can become monsters too bringing into perspective the term “freaks.” Freaks are usually out of control, and the only way to bring them under control is by ascribing monstrous identities by those who abide by the standard codes. To explicate the concept further and juxtapose cultures in monsters Cohen uses seven theses to this effect. 

The first thesis titled ��Monster’s Body in a Cultural Body” creates a link between the concept of Monsters and Culture. Certain monsters whether fictional or real develop a culture that is defined by certain norms that differentiate that culture. For instance, Vampires are defined by certain characteristics that determine their monster nature. The birth of monster is also defined by a place, feeling or a time relative to a particular cultural moment. What gives monsters life is their ability to spark fantasy, fear, anxiety or desire with their bodies that represent a pure culture. 

“The Monster Always Escapes” is the title of the second thesis that examines disappearance and change in physical state of monsters. Despite the damage monsters cause, they always manage to escape leaving behind a mark of their presence that shows that they are responsible. This gives monsters another characteristic of either regenerating or coming back to life. The feature of reconstruction or coming back to life beats logic, as logic itself is subject to shifting. 

The next question would be; Why does the monster always escape? This question is answered in the third thesis: “The Monster is the Harbinger of Category Crisis.” If a monster could be seen or destroyed easily, then it would be subject to categorization making it prone to destruction by a particular effect. Although monsters are defined by a certain culture, they don’t do things in a particular order to avoid being classified. Their culture does not define the situations in which the monster appears, vanishes or escapes because ontological liminality characterizes it. 

The author states the fourth thesis as, “The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference” to explicate where the monster resides and why it dwells in these dimensions. The difference in the monster is based on either, sexual, economic, cultural, racial or political grounds. The difference in the various aspects defines where the monster resides. The dwelling place is arbitrary but conforms to what the monster stands for in terms of destruction of an entire society as opposed to an individual. 

How to capture a monster is unfathomable for a subject that does not fall within the definition of the monster. This is the basis of the fifth thesis; “The Monster Polices the Borders of the Possible.” The monster’s ability to resist capture and prevent mobility is as a result of the threats it puts forth as a warning and delimiting social aspects respectively. The monster is characterized by being a lawbreaker, perversely erotic, too sexual, and transgressive thus, going against cultural and political norms. For this reason, the monster and its embodiment must be subjected to destruction and being exiled. 

Thesis six brings about the paradoxical nature of the monster because “Fear of the Monster is Really a Kind of Desire.” The forbidden practices are not necessarily undesirable. In fact, what is forbidden in a certain society is prone to be committed.  And the monster is the one responsible for this antagonistic behavior. This calls for enforcement in a society in order to evaluate the spectrum of what the monster is capable of doing. Because people are the ones being summoned, it means that the monster has a residence in the human physical form. This thesis culminates the debate on whether monsters exist because if they don’t, how could we?

The final thesis; “The Monster Stands at the Threshold… of Becoming” encapsulates everything discussed in the previous theses to identify the monster’s stance. Even though they are created and reside in us, we opt to segregate them due to what we associate them with. Monsters define our very existence as history acknowledges their existence and their ability to bear human knowledge. The position of the monster is relative to questions that define how we have created them.

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WEEK 3

1. What does Jaron Lanier, the computer scientist, mean when he observes that the dynamics of the Web are leading “authors, journalists, musicians and artists” to “treat the fruits of their intellects and imaginations as fragments to be given without pay to the hive mind?”

Lanier suggest since the way the world works has changed, these journalists have been forced to change the way in which they operate. They have had to deal with the realities of their work being broken down and illegally disseminated and edited. They also have to operate in a world where people choose the manner in which they prefer to see their work. For example he states, “What becomes of originality and imagination in a world that prizes “metaness” and regards the mash-up as “more important than the sources who were mashed.”

2. According to Mr. Lanier and others, in what ways is the Internet changing the way we read, write, seek and process information? What do you think of these observations?

The internet has made people more impatient in the way they process information. They want everything to be shorted and prefer to pick out segments rather than appreciating the full quality of work. They gravitate mostly towards summaries, anecdotes and sound clips and do not care that they are essentially not gaining the full experience that the artists and authors intended. These observations are quite accurate given how most people are seen to operate today and the hurry they are always in. Twitter for example exploded into popularity circles because of the concept of brevity as it limited people to posts below 140 characters and Snapchat too because videos have a maximum length of 10 seconds. 

3. How do the backgrounds of the writers who are examining Web-induced changes in thought and culture lend weight to their arguments?

Their backgrounds all help to add weight since they are both artists and are therefore fully affected by these web induced changes. Lanier wrote a book on “a digital humanism,” where he discusses the different effects of web induced changes. Moreover, he has experience in Silicon Valley and working with virtual reality which means he is in a prime position to have a lot of knowledge on the purpose. Steven Johnson on the other hand also founded the online magazine Feed which means he is also aware of the different factors that have come into play to affect today’s writings and thought processes. 

4. What is “cyberbalkanization”? How could it be dangerous? What are the implications for the establishment of truth, “consensus and common ground”?

Cyberbalkanization refers to the trend in which people are increasingly personalizing the news feeds in order to only receive the information they want while blocking the majority of it out. This means that people could be fine tuning the news in order to serve their own interests and simply confirm their own prejudgments. Rather than using the news objectively to learn and make decisions, they are selectively filtering it to confirm their own biases. This is extremely dangerous because it fosters the spreading of falsehoods and fallacies. This is causing extremism and polarization to increase as the consensus and common ground grows smaller. 

5. What is a “deconstructionist” approach to literary and other texts?

The deconstructionist approach to literary and other texts suggest that people place more value in the opinions that critics have when it comes to art rather than on the people responsible for the texts themselves. This is seen in the manner through which people often log into different critic and review sites to check on the ratings given to different works and use this to determine what they think of it. Rather than reading the work and forming their own judgment, or listening to the thought process of the writers themselves, they quickly choose to believe those who have been acclaimed as great critics. While they are not specifically wrong, each critic’s work is simply a matter of opinion and not fact and therefore people should also give themselves a chance to form their own opinions on the matter. 

6. According to Neal Gabler, in what way is celebrity “the great new art form of the 21st century”? How does the article’s author, Michiko Kakutani, feel about this claim?

Celebrity has come to compete with more traditional forms of art and the way they have taken over suggests they are the art of the 21st century. For example the reality show industry is booming nowadays and more and more people are flocking to read memoirs put out by people in the industry. Celebrities and their opinions are also more worshipped than ever and they are often responsible for major trends. Kakutani however feels the claim is absurd because it is impossible to imagine most of celebrity inspired works as true art because more often than not they are usually lacking in quality. 

7. How does Ms. Kakutani assess the various remixes in the culture?

These remixes are seen to have permeated all through society. With the new advances in technology, all people have the ability to create mash-ups, cut, copy and paste different forms of art to create what they want. Other elements such as karaoke and video games like Guitar Hero have also led to the assertion that any person can create works of art. However, more often than not these works don’t usually measure up to quality standards and are proving to be a negative side of this web induced culture. 

8. What does Mr. Lanier mean when he says “since the Web is killing old media, we face a situation in which culture is effectively eating its own seed stock”?

He suggests that the web has been responsible for bringing the death of old media by terming it as old fashioned and past. However, the people on the web also spend much of their time making comments and analyzing these works of art in fan forums. These comments and chatter are responsible for a huge part of internet traffic and this creates a paradox since the same people who are responsible for killing off the media are also the ones who spend much of their time keeping it alive. 

[noraaa1215-blog]

post-modern

The term "post-modern" is employed by historians to refer to the time of musical history that followed the modern period. Some scholars place the commencement of the post-modern period at approximately 1930, while others place it at 1960. Either way, the foundation of the post-modern world can be traced to the 1930s, a time in world history in which many individuals felt a great sense of nervousness concerning the modern world. Unlike some music of the previous time in musical history, post-modernism in music is not a particular musical trend or style, but is more about a period in which a significant variety of innovative and new music developed. Indeed, the post-modern time did not come about as a reaction or revolution away from the preceding period, the modern era. The post-modern era in music is a result of some fragmentation of various aspects of 20th-century culture. The musical video Ballerina on the Boat (1969) is an example of post-modern music; it shows the strong influence of the great Russian modernist composer Alfred Schnittke.

Analysis of Ballerina on the Boat and Post-Modernism in Contemporary Culture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-MQTx1CMM4

Indeed, this music video is an interesting and beautiful piece of entertainment. For that reason, Schnittke musical scores all produced during his prolific career provides an extraordinarily rich and varied evidence of his role as 20th-century modernist and as a source for postmodern aesthetics. In the early 1970s, Schnittke endorsed two-way musical performances in which he worked together with his performers, fusing art with its surrounding, and in which his will as the composer did not constraint audiences' activities. Undeniably, this collaborative, de-centered, and heterogeneous standard for musical performance seems postmodern.

As seen in the video, Schnittke determined and designed the performance situation, regardless of how many participants or audiences were involved, and relied on his creativity of chosen traditions from the past. However, his style of music shows that he wanted to change the world through developing advanced techniques of composing and producing music performed by dance. Undoubtedly, the music video represents postmodernism through its demonstration of a shift from a single media art to an interactive and performative art revealed through some collaboration of audience and performers, as well as high and vernacular images and sounds.  Further, fans are seen dancing and displaying some new techniques in playing their music instruments. As such, this theatricality and the close collaboration between the music composition and performance represent Schnittke as the originator of postmodernism.

Consequently, Schnittke strived to introduce some new forms of producing musical sounds and enhancing the role of performance with an idea of generating multiple sounds using simple equipment. Personally, I believe that this production of music and dancing affected the listening procedure and creation of meaning. For example, this piece of artwork helps an audience thinks of developing an experience of reading a contemporary text. The performative requirements of Schnittke's music define its innovation, and hence it's postmodernism. In that case, the dance represented in this piece of art wake up the excellent life were are living. Any philosopher would endorse Schnittke's independence and his exertion of some control in his music, which assumes a significant function in relation to the community. Mostly, the dancing setting conveys a message to an audience concerning when to applaud or dance during a performance.

Personally, I believe that this video is a real representation of postmodernism since it seems to integrate boardrillard's concept of hyper-reality. For instance, the video appears to cut from one scene to another. As such, it depicts postmodernism as no significant difference is made between them. By this, I mean how some form of effect conventionally represents the development of time. The absence of this effect may confuse an audience and make them question which part of this music video is real time. In a similar manner, playfulness is a theme correctly represented in this work; many unusual and funny situations are evident.

Consequently, the music video raises some aesthetic and semiotic questions, concerning the association between graphic, musical, and performance forms. For instance, Schnittke's work exemplifies some cultural traits which have resulted in the concept of postmodernism. Indeed, both the mass media and fine arts have evolved and transformed concerning new technologies and vernacular culture, which has changed the contemporary society.

All in all, Ballerina on the Boat (1969) is an example of the post-modern music video; it represents the dominant influence of the great Russian modernist composer Alfred Schnittke. Indeed, this piece of artwork accounts for a postmodern aesthetics recognized as a salient symbol of modern culture. Accordingly, the music video reflects some stylistic aesthetics standards conditioned by social history. For that reason, modern musicians are able to critique some work of other artists to develop a fascinating work. As seen in the video, the composer's creativity in creating the music and sound as well as the graphical images makes him a role model since he is a source for postmodern aesthetics.

[noraaa1215-blog]

critical practice assignment 1.

Kurt Andersen argues that the advancements in people’s lives have occurred mainly in technology with the social and cultural aspects of development remaining stagnant. After a thorough consideration of the article, I agree with his view that contemporary societies concentrate more on economic prosperity and technological development to the detriment of cultural innovation. Between 1989 and 2009, there was no significant change in pop styles and culture, and people repeated the same dressing styles as in the earlier decades (Andersen par. 14). For sure, before the 1990s, people considered owning a computer or a communication device to be fancy. Over the years, many changes have occurred, and millions of people own either a personal computer or a smartphone. These technological advancements constitute a revolution as they have significant social, political, and economic impact.

Similarly, people measure the superiority and dominance of a nation by its technological advancements rather than changes in its culture. The stagnation in cultural aspects has a detrimental impact on economies and social values (Andersen par. 18). Andersen is right to argue that, while many people access and use products of innovation such as music players, computers, telephones, and TVs, many other aspects remain unchanged (Andersen par. 2). Whereas Andersen wrote his article in 2011, his observation is applicable today. For example, almost all people have a mobile phone today, with most of them accessing the Internet with the help of this device. Thus, there is equal access to the World Wide Web for the users of personal computers, tablets, or smartphones. This fact shows how fast the technology develops in comparison to other spheres of life.

Most people have an inclination to label the recent past as outdated, forgetting that they are going back to what others did several decades ago. While movies, music, and other elements of popular culture changed considerably from the beginning of the 20th century to 1992, these aspects remained unchanged a decade later (Andersen par. 2). Almost nothing changed from 1992 to 2012, with furniture, home electronics, and fashion clothing showing no notable differences (Andersen par. 6). It is important to note that a few cultural aspects such as the increased use of high-heeled shoes by women, tattooing, and piercings by both males and females have become more wide-spread. Nevertheless, these traditions were popular even a few decades ago. Thus, culture has not developed so much as technology.

The unchanging cultural elements signify what Andersen calls an end in cultural history. Between 1992 and 2011, when Andersen authored his article, he did not note any considerable changes in the hip hop music culture, with the beats and dress codes remaining the same (Andersen par. 11). The only change was in the ease of recording music and videos, and it happened thanks to the advances in technology. Today, filmmakers are basing their movies on historical, almost forgotten times. One of such works is the 2015's fictional film Bone Tomahawk, the setting of which shows the 1890s, when transportation and medicine were not as advanced as today. Another motion picture that seeks to express past culture or recreate historical times and events is The Lone Ranger, which is based on a 1933 radio show. Some producers use past literary works to create movies and television programs. For instance, Beau Smith's mirthful books helped create the 'Wynonna Earp' TV series. These and other examples show that technological and economic developments do not go hand in hand with cultural changes.

All in all, I support Andersen’s reasoning that culture does not evolve in line with socioeconomic and technological aspects of change. For instance, people keep recycling aspects of culture that were dominant in the past decades. Consequently, cultural stagnation slows down political and economic progress as these elements go together.