Media Persuasion

The discussion this week opened my eyes not only to the bias that can be found in media but also to my own bias when examining what I am watching.   The ad chosen to show bias in advertisement was one from the Yes on 8 campaign in 2008.  This ad used fear and misinformation to sway undecided voters to their side and was successful because of the political climate at the time. Many did not understand what the proposition truly proposed and relied heavily on what they were told to make an "informed" decision. 

The interesting part of this assignment was how my own bias started to shine through in my writing.  My experience led me to the ad I found because of the obvious bias I witnessed during that campaign and I overlooked how my personal feelings affected my view of persuasion and bias in media. As someone who has worked in the entertainment field, I forgot to look outside of my own expereinces and instead into the bias of the field itself.  Movie trailers are a great example of how persuasion in media can be effective in drawing in an audience.  

As a media psychologist, examining how persuasion and bias is present in everyday forms of media is important.  During an election periods, bias is easy to detect but not so much other times of the year.  Using my own experiences to draw on observations will be important but I will also have to learn how to set my personal bias aside for the good of the audience I am presenting or consulting with.

Image References

Boyle, A. (2009, September 24). Independent movie trailer reviews to premier Friday - Raleigh Indie Movie | Examiner.com. Welcome to Examiner.com | Examiner.com. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/independent-movie-trailer-reviews-to-premier-friday

Patel, N. (2011, November 16). 6 Ways to Be More Persuasive With Social Media. Social Media News and Web Tips – Mashable – The Social Media Guide. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/11/16/social-media-persuasive/ 

Bias, the media, and me

Everyone is plagued by his or her own bias.  Whether we are discussing politics, religion, sexuality, movies, or food we all perceive in a unique way and we all believe what we feel is true.  Our biases can help us as we ask questions, but if we are not careful they can also hinder our evolving thought process.  We must understand that bias is a constant in our lives and that we can never truly rid ourselves of this.  What we can do is gain an understanding of where our bias stems from and be cognitive of its existence. 

Our experiences will help us as media psychologists to be in control of our bias and constantly being aware of its existence will allow us to understand how the media we use affects us.   Taking an inventory at what media we consume in any given day will help us begin to break down our own bias.  For me, I found that most of my consumption comes from online, which needs an added sense of bias detection, because of the ease in which stories can be fabricated on the Internet.  

I try to gather material from various sources and varying viewpoints.  This will allow me to gather as much information as I can, and sift through the bias to get to the facts.  To understand how bias we works we also need to understand how we consume our media.  We need to ask questions of the sources and look inward to see how much of ourselves we are putting into our research and note any bias that might be shining through. 

While bias can never fully go away, we must learn to use it and control it as best we can.  Am I reporting only on what helps my argument? Am I pulling from sources that only side with me?  While this may be a constant in an every day setting, we must be cognitive of the types of bias we have when trying to pull information especially as media psychologists.  If we are to truly use our knowledge of media and technology to explain how they impact and affect society, we must put our own biases aside for the betterment of those we are helping.  

Image References

Ollman, G. (n.d.). I don’t need a signature to know it’s going to be bad… « The Day Before Zero. Damballa. Retrieved from https://blog.damballa.com/archives/1558

MCLAUGHLIN, T. (2010, January 7). Family Security Matters. Family Security Matters. Retrieved from http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.5197/pub_detail.asp

Smith, N. (n.d.). Reflective Practice in Higher Education Instruction - The EvoLLLution | The EvoLLLution. The EvoLLLution | Attracting Adult Students. Retrieved from http://www.evolllution.com/program_planning/reflective-practice-in-higher-education-instruction/

Being a "De-Tech-Tive"

Understanding how and why technology impacts our lives is crucial to being affective digital citizens.  Today, we have access to more electronic technology than ever before, and this access allows us to reach further than science fiction writers could ever have dreamed. This electronic technology has provided access to higher education for those not able or not wanting to attend a traditional brick and mortar institution.  But where did this technology start, how does it help us today, and where will it take us in the future? To answer these questions we must become "de-tech-tives," a process described by Jason Ohler as, "focusing on the details and impacts of the technology that permeate our lives." (Ohler, p. 107) What permeates our lives more than the technology we use to better ourselves?

Gone are the days of the one-room schoolhouse.  Today the classroom has evolved out of the physical confines of a four-walled room, through the digital realm of cyberspace, and into the comfort of our own homes.  We have access to more educators, information, and each other than ever before, and yet there is still a disconnect between the physical and online community when it comes to connectivity.  In the classroom, we can discuss, ask questions, and interact in a real time setting with those in the same physical space. In regards to online, often those with questions have to wait for a response, will never meet their fellow peers, and in many ways teach themselves the material.  So what if we merged these two worlds into one?

The "Holo-Class," a virtual, holographic classroom, that projects the "classroom" into the student’s home, allows each user to interact in real time with their instructor and their fellow classmates. Of course this technology is a pipe dream so we must instead use our "de-tech-tive" skills to understand how this new system could help advance the world of online education. 

Just as a real detective would do, we must "investigate, analyze and make recommendations about how to address the personal, social, and environmental impacts of technology." (p. 111) We know how the traditional classroom works and we use this knowledge to form the online platform.  By investigating the successes and failures, along with the social impacts of online education, we can begin to look ahead at how to improve upon this technology.  Online education extends our minds into fields of study most might never have an opportunity to experience. It also can diminish how we connect to the real world and the experiences a traditional university can offer, such as student connectivity and instructor interaction.  This investigation will lead us to understand how to use technology currently available to us (i.e. Microsoft Kinnect, inferred cameras, and 3-D modeling) to start building a new form of the online classroom.

After we investigate we must begin to analyze the data to debate the pros and cons of this technology.   To do this we must find people on both sides of this debate, along with impartial judges to listen to both sides.  Once the debate is done, recommendations for this technology can begin.  For the "Holo-class", the debate revealed questions about the practical access students would have to technology advanced enough to project a 3-D hologram of a classroom.  One answer was, we already have access to this, just not in the same place. Another problem that arose, was the question of cost?  Wouldn't it be unreasonable to expect the average student to incur such a cost? The cost of this could be built into the tuition, allowing schools to send the appropriate materials to the students.  It can also reduce the number of on campus buildings the school will require which could offset the institutions overhead, allowing the cost of this to be minimal to the student.  A downside to this could be a loss of jobs, which would be antithetical of what the "Holo-class" would provide.  The idea would be to offer a better involvement in online education to expand the knowledge and reach of those wanting to further their careers. 

If the "Holo-class" were to take off, the analysis portion of the "de-tech-tive" process would need to be more involved.  As a media psychologist, this technology is exciting, simply because it allows for greater access to the world via new forms of media.  The minds of scientists have already bred life into the ideas put forth by science fiction writers such as blue-tooth, touch screen, and voice-activated technology.  Why not begin to advance the immersive qualities of 3-D to allow the next wave of these great minds to begin the cycle again?  

Ohler, J. (2010.) Digital Community, Digital Citizen. CA: Corwin. 

Image Reference

PR Strategies. (n.d.). Public Relations Bloggerr. Retrieved from http://publicrelationsblogger.com/2010/03/pr-tips-fifth-step-to-reaching-your.html

Sayfa, A. (n.d.). Top 5 Hack Tools for Hackers to Investigate Computer System ~ Sql Injection , SEO , Web Hacking, Mail Hacking. Sql Injection , SEO , Web Hacking, Mail Hacking. Retrieved from http://hacking61.blogspot.com/2011/06/top-5-hack-tools-for-hackers-to.html

Media Mantra

As a media psychologist I want to use media to bring awareness to material that is not looked at as the norm in society.  Filmmakers have more than just the silver screen, writers have more than just paper, and musicians have more than just radio to share their ideas. Jen Carter of PBS said, "All of these stories were centered on how each person used or views social media as a cultural tool used to stimulate and cultivate communities around an idea, interest or goal." (2012) With the technology we have, connecting with others through social networking, and the ease in which we can communicate I hope to share ideas and start a discussion with the help of various forms of media. 

Media Mantra:

To use media as an educational tool so that I can bring awareness to the public about subject matter hidden in the shadows of acceptance.

References

Carter, J. (2012, July 23). PBS Station Products & Innovation Blog: Part Two: Connecting Through Social Media. PBS Station Products & Innovation Blog. Retrieved from http://spiblog.pbs.org/2012/07/part-two-connecting-through-social-media.html

Image Reference

Social Media Tree Icon (PSD) | Psdblast. (2012, August 14). Graphic design, PSDs & Free Icons for Download | PSDBlast.com. Retrieved from http://psdblast.com/social-media-tree-icon-psd