Unit Two: Media and Digital Literacy Created by Mrs. Wittmann
Media Literacy Fundamentals Modern media comes in many different formats, including print media (books, magazines, newspapers), television, movies, video games, music, cell phones, various kinds of software, and the Internet. Each type of media involves both content, and also a device or object through which that content is delivered.
Interpret Media Messages You are exposed to illustrations, photos, logos, diagrams, and other types of images every day. It is important to view images critically and understand their effect on you. READ pages 46 - 47 in the text. Write the highlighted words in your notes.
Audience Profiling Audience profiling allows media businesses to narrow down their audience/ customers to find their target audience. It is always best for a media business to find their target audience before they market a new product so they can get the best results and profit. A target audience is an audience that is most relevant and connected to the media product that a company is trying to sell hence the name target audience. When a media business is defining an audience to find their target audience some of the factors they must consider are the following: Age Gender Religion Race Sexuality Education Occupation Income Current and desired lifestyle Media interest Buying habits Loyalty to brands
Create a target audience PROFILE for these advertisements:
TASK Pretend you are from another planet. Collect 10 print ads. From these, determine all you can about the interests, values, lifestyle, and quality of life of this earthling.
Create a profile of the buyer - a personality of an unknown subject based on buying habits.
Logo with an Advertising Slogan A logo is a graphic symbol widely used by business enterprises, organizations and even individuals to support and promote instant public recognition. Logos are either purely graphic (symbols/icons) or are composed of the name of the organization.
http://www.tripwiremagazine.com/50-examples-of-catchy-and-creative-slogans/
What Is a Slogan? A slogan or tagline is "a catchphrase or small group of words that are combined in a special way to identify a product or company." In many ways, they're like mini-mission statements. Companies have slogans for the same reason they have logos: advertising. While logos are visual representations of a brand, slogans are audible representations of a brand. Both formats grab consumers' attention more readily than the name a company or product might. Plus, they're simpler to understand and remember. The goal? To leave a key brand message in consumers' minds so that, if they remember nothing else from an advertisement, they'll remember the slogan.
It is memorable. Is the slogan quickly recognizable? Will people only have to spend a second or two thinking about it? A brief, catchy few words can go a long way in advertisements, videos, posters, business cards, swag, and other places. It includes a key benefit. Ever heard the marketing advice, "Sell the sizzle, not the steak"? It means sell the benefits, not the features -- which applies perfectly to slogans. A great slogan makes a company or product's benefits clear to the audience.
It differentiates the brand. Does your soda pop have the fullest flavor? Or maybe the fewest calories? What is it about your product or brand that sets it apart from competitors? It imparts positive feelings about the brand. The best taglines use words that are positive and upbeat. For example, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups' slogan, "Two great tastes that taste great together," gives the audience good feelings about Reese's, whereas a slogan like Lea & Perrins', "Steak sauce only a cow could hate," uses negative words. The former leaves a better impression on the audience.
Rhetorical Appeals Rhetorical appeals are attempts by the speaker to persuade an audience - or to put it another way, attempts to say things that an audience would find appealing. After more than 2000 years, we still refer to classical rhetorical appeals identified by Aristotle - ethos, logos, and pathos - which appeal to the audience's trust, reason, and emotions, respectively.
ETHOS = HAND (Greek for character – credibility argument) Speakers appeal to ethos to demonstrate that they are credible and trustworthy people who should be listened to when they discuss a given topic. It relies on authority and reputation.
LOGOS = HEAD (Greek for word - logical argument) Speakers appeal to logos, or reason, by offering clear, rational ideas. Appealing to logos means thinking logically - having a clear main idea and using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to support it.
PATHOS = HEART (Greek for suffering or experience– emotional argument) Speakers appeal to emotions, values, desires, and hopes, on one hand, or fears and prejudices, on the other. Although an argument that appeals exclusively to the emotions is by definition weak - using pathos generally involves propaganda.
PROPAGANDA Propaganda is "information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view" (Oxford Online Dictionaries). Propaganda is often associated with the psychological mechanisms of influencing and altering the attitude of a population toward a specific cause, position or political agenda in an effort to form a consensus to a standard set of belief patterns. Propaganda is information that is not impartial and is used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda, often by presenting facts selectively (perhaps lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or using loaded messages to produce an emotional (pathos) rather than a rational response to the information presented.
How is this an appeal to emotion? (pathos) Which type of propaganda is used? Explain. Is this effective or is making the bold assertion that parents who allow their children to eat meat are guilty of child abuse make this message ineffective? Is this advertisement appealing? Explain.
Describe the PURPOSE of each of the following advertisements (start with PIE). What MESSAGE is being sent in each?
Constructing Reality Cut out a picture of a product. Paste it on a piece of paper and create a new ad. 1. What changes did you make and why? 2. What is the ad saying? Do the words and picture say the same thing?
TASK Advertisement: 1. Identify the target audience; create an audience profile and explain your thinking. 2. Identify the purpose of the ad (PIE). 3. Name the overall persuasive appeal (s) – logos, pathos, ethos AND name the specific strategy used by the advertiser (bandwagon, plain folks etc.). 4. What is the focal point? Explain. 5. What message is being sent? 6. Is the ad effective? Explain why or why not.
COLOUR Colour is a way that we describe an object based on the way that it reflects or emits light. Your eye can see different colours because a part of your eye called the retina is sensitive to different wavelengths of light. Humans are what is called "trichromats," meaning our retinas have three different kinds of cells that can receive colour. Those cells are called cones. What is your favourite colour? What do you think the most common favorite colour in the world is?
To organize colours and show their relationship to each other, we use a colour wheel. This shows the colours and how they are related to each other. On a traditional colour wheel, three colours are called primary colours. From these three colours, all of the colours on the colour wheel can be made. The three primary colours on the traditional colour wheel are red, yellow and blue. (Blue is the most popular color in the world.)
COLOUR MEANING Red is the colour of fire and blood so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, hunger, desire, and love. Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Yellow is the colour of sunshine. It’s associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. Green is the colour of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility.
Blue is the colour of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. White is associated with lightness, goodness, innocence, and purity. It symbolizes safety, purity, and cleanliness. In heraldry, white symbolizes faith and purity. Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.
ANALYZING GRAPHIC TEXT Analyzing Visual Texts Using OPTIC Paying attention to the details is a habit that is a necessary part of effective analysis. As you analyze visual texts (paintings, photographs, advertisements, maps, charts or graphs), the OPTIC strategy can help you construct meaning.
OVERVIEW STEP 1: SUMMARIZE THE OVERALL CONCEPT Explain the visual in just enough detail to provide the overall gist of the image; imagine describing the image to someone who cannot see it . Example: Van Gogh’s The Starry Night depicts a town at night, with what appears to be a church as the central building, with a starry sky and rolling hills in the background.
PARTS STEP 2: DESCRIBE THE PARTS. Identify the visual elements that make up the entire composition. Consider the identifiable objects in the piece (such as buildings, shapes, icons, people, and so forth) as well as more abstract visual elements, like colors, textures, typefaces, organizational layout, groupings, patterns, and so forth. Example: A dark, curving tree near the front of the image. Rolling blue hills in the distance. A grouping of buildings at the lower region of the image, depicting a village surrounding a large church with steeple. Yellow, circular and abstract stars in the sky. The dark and blue colors are prominent with accents in yellow to highlight light. Eerie, abstract swirl design and texture throughout.
TITLE STEP 3: EXPLAIN THE TITLE & TEXT (& CREATOR, if known) Use the name of the piece and describe the text to analyze the message the creator may have been trying to convey. Understanding the title and author can provide clarity, historical context, and meaning to a piece. Example: Vincent van Gogh, who painted The Starry Night in 1889, painted this image from a lunatic asylum where he was self-admitted. The Starry Night is one of 21 paintings van Gogh painted while looking out his barred windows; the image depicts one of many different ways in which van Gogh may have perceived the world.
INTERRELATIONSHIPS STEP 4: EXPLAIN HOW THE PARTS RELATE TO THE WHOLE. Look at the items in the visual holistically; that is to say, see how all of the combined elements together make for interesting meanings. How do the colors, buildings, shapes, locations, and so forth combine to make for an interesting communication and reading? Example: The abstract composition with the uneven and swirling lines amidst a dark scene interestingly contrast against the brightness of the yellow stars and shining lights below.
CONCLUSION STEP 5: CONCLUDE WITH A STRONG ANALYSIS. Now that you’ve described the many pieces of the visual, you’re in position to make interesting claims about the visual as an entire composition. Provide an analysis that gives insight into what the painting may be trying to portray (purpose). Is it achieved? Describe the target audience. Example: Vincent van Gogh’sThe Starry Night positions us, the viewer, inside his confined world within an asylum. We see his perspective of a world where he once lived, through a lens void of the bars in the windows through which he saw. The Starry Night provides glimpses of hope amongst an otherwise dreary and somewhat ominous world, a world that is constantly seeking peace amidst uncertainty and despair.
“Day” at the Museum Task: Walk around the room and look at the various advertisements posted. Select TWO of the ads and complete an OPTIC Chart.
OVERVIEW Write a brief overview of the image. In one sentence, what is this image about. PARTS List all the parts that seem important (color, figures, textures, groupings, shadings, patterns, numbers, repetitions, etc.) (EVIDENCE) TITLE How does the title or text contribute to the meaning? What message is sent? INTERRELATIONSHIPS Explain the interrelationships in the image. Consider how the parts come together to create a mood or convey an idea or an argument. CONCLUSION Write a conclusion paragraph that interprets the meaning of the image as a whole. (CLAIM)
JONES SODA COMPANY We Stand for Premium Craft Beverages Made with pure cane sugar and featuring the most unique packaging in the beverage industry, Jones Soda is a one of a kind premium soda known for its bold, unique flavors, colors, and ever changing labels submitted by our consumers. Created in Vancouver, BC in 1995 from the vision of Jones Soda founder, Peter van Stolk, and photographer/designer Victor John Penner, Jones was launched with the idea of incorporating random photographs onto our bottles using shots taken by Penner. But when consumers began submitting their own photos, we quickly realized that user sourced participation made the brand even more special. Our flavor lineup includes traditional favorites like Cola, Root Beer, Cream Soda & Orange & Cream, but we also offer tasty, unique options such as Blue Bubblegum, Green Apple, Strawberry Lime and Fufu Berry. Limited Edition offerings will continue to make appearances in the Jones lineup, but don't hold your breath for anything gross or weird. We're committed to only creating flavors we think are downright! (Jones Soda is a treat after all!)
The Jones portfolio includes Jones Pure Cane Soda, Jones Sugar Free, Jones Cane Sugar fountain products, Spiked Jones (a hard cider soda created just for our 21+ fans!) and our sister brand Lemoncocco - a non-carbonated beverage inspired by the icon beverage stands in Rome, Italy. And our caps! Our fans love the quotes they find under Jones Soda caps, which offer pearls of wisdom, advice, or simple daily pick me ups. Collected and shared through social media, our caps have become nearly as synonymous with our brand as our photos, and are part of what makes us who we are. And just in case you weren’t already aware, our caps can also be collected and sent back to Jones to redeem some pretty cool prizes. People always ask where they can find Jones in their neighborhoods. Depending on where you live, that may or may not be an easy question to answer. We are working hard to ensure Jones can be found in as many traditional and nontraditional retailers as possible. For those who have trouble trying to find us, we also offer our products for sale through our website, where our business continues to grow! As with most things in life, the squeaky wheel gets the grease! If you want to see Jones Soda or any of our other products carried in a retail location, politely ask the resident beverage manager to carry that product for you. Without valuable feedback from customers like you, a beverage manager might not know they're missing out!
Magazine publishers, editors, and circulation directors know the importance of the cover image as both a newsstand impulse buy and as a brand. 80 percent of consumer magazines’ newsstand sales are determined by what is shown on the cover, a fact that can mean the difference between a magazine’s success or failure over time. The cover image and design reinforce the brand, an important identification factor because the average reader spends only three to five seconds scanning a magazine cover before deciding whether to buy that issue. Magazine covers not only offer information about what’s inside a particular issue, they also provide significant cultural cues about social, political, economic, and medical trends. As both historical artifacts and marketing tools, magazine covers deserve closer study.
Super Bowl commercials: the touchdowns and the letdowns A look at the best and worst commercials for Super Bowl LII http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/super-bowl-commercials-1.4519777
SPOOFS What is a spoof? noun a humorous imitation of something, typically a film or a particular genre of film, in which its characteristic features are exaggerated for comic effect. 1."a Robin Hood spoof" 2. a trick played on someone as a joke. verb 1. imitate (something) while exaggerating its characteristic features for comic effect. 2. "it is a movie that spoofs other movies" 3. hoax or trick (someone). 4. "they proceeded to spoof Western intelligence with false information"
THINK TO YOURSELF…. WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON HERE? WHY ARE WE LAUGHING? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE?
Spoof Ads: Adbusters The Adbusters Media Foundation has created many print and commercial spoof ads that are hard hitting and controversial. Their goal is “to galvanize resistance against those who destroy the environment, pollute our minds and diminish our lives.” To achieve this goal, Adbusters "spoof advertisements" use humour and satire as weapons, to expose the faults, weakness and falsities of the world.
What is ADBUSTERS about? What does it PROMOTE? What major MESSAGE is trying to be conveyed? PURPOSE OF SPOOF ADS To persuade To inform To entertain + To satirize To expose
In a NUTSHELL ... Spoof Ads PROVOKE US - appeal to our senses and our emotions HAVE US LOOK DEEPER - we need to infer (read between the lines) to fully understand the message SPEAK TO US - the success of the spoof ad is through the connections we make with the message it delivers
Company: Camel Criticism: Cigarette companies only care about profit not health How the ad works: - changes to name of Joe Camel to “Joe Chemo” - The colours a bright but the message is dark - The words of the warning are taken to an extreme
Company: Apple Criticism: Apple is taking over people’s minds How the ad works: - plays on the “I” slogan of the company - uses dark colours - the words “conditioning your precious one”
TASK 1. Find TWO online SPOOF ads that interest you (appropriate for class discussion) 2. Identify the company being spoofed 3. Explain what is being criticized 4. Describe how the ad works (3 points)
STEP 1: RESPOND to the following SPOOF ADS through polite discussion. STEP 2: RATE each spoof ad based on its ability to persuade, satirize, expose, and inform.
Advertising alcohol is often glamorized by emphasizing wealth, popularity, (really) good times, and success. Alcohol advertisements NEVER show the harsh realities of its misuse and abuse.
Some spoof ads are satirizing the product by exposing some of the realities on how a particular company is run and how products are created and manufactured. The OBJECTIVE is to PERSUADE consumers NOT to BUY the product.
15 Classic Spoof Ads By "Mad" Magazine The magazine didn't have any real ads back in the 1950s and 1960s. Instead they nailed big-name advertisers — especially cigarette companies — hard.
Public Service Announcements Definition: A public service announcement (PSA), or public service ad is a message in the public interest distributed without charge, with the objective of raising awareness, changing public attitudes and behavior towards a social issue.
Textual Harassment Make Inferences 1. Who do you think is the target audience of this PSA? Create an audience profile. How do know? 2. The message of this advertisement is implied (not directly stated). What is the message? Provide three pieces of evidence from the ad that led you to this conclusion. Make Connections 1.Do you think that text messaging can be equally controlling for both males and females? Explain. 2.Do you think the PSA would be more effective if the girl responded to the text messages? Explain. 3.Do you think the use of the phone character was effective? Explain. 4.Do you think people are too dependent on their cell phones? Explain.
Which PSA is the most effective and why? THINK ABOUT… 1. Who is the TARGET AUDIENCE? 2. What is the PURPOSE ? 3. What about the VIDEO stands out to you? 4. What is the PSA for - what is the MESSAGE? and what is the SLOGAN?
Select TWO PSAs from the link and answer the following questions: http://www.nrsf.org/teenlane/programs/public-service-announcements 1. What message should you take away? Is the message presented explicitly or implicitly? 2. Who is the intended audience? Where would you post or present this public service announcement? 3. Do you believe it? Do you understand why you should [follow the message]?
4. Do you have an emotional reaction or a personal connection? What in the PSA makes you feel that way? 5. Are you convinced by this PSA? 6. What would make this a stronger PSA? 7. How else could you present the same message in a different way? (i.e. use comedy as opposed to emotional connection) Which approach is more effective?
Digital Literacy Fundamentals Today’s youth are often called ‘digital natives’ by adults because of the seemingly effortless way they engage with all things digital. It’s easy to see why: Canadian youth live in an interactive, “on demand” digital culture where they are used to accessing media whenever and wherever they want. Instant-messaging, photo sharing, texting, social networking, video-streaming, and mobile Internet use are all examples where youth have led the charge in new ways of engaging online.
But this enthusiasm masks a potential problem: although young people don’t need coaxing to take up Internet technologies and their skills quickly improve relative to their elders, without guidance they remain amateur users of information and communications technology (ICT), which raises concerns about a generation of youth who are not fully digitally literate, yet are deeply immersed in cyberspace.
Digital Literacy 1. How do you define "digital literacy"? 2. Are you digitally literate? 3. Which applications do you use? (check all that apply)* Facebook Facebook Messenger WeChat Instagram Pinterest Snapchat Twitter YouTube WhatsApp Other?
http://digitalyou.att.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Keeping_Up_With_Generation_App_Infographic.pdf
For the ~ 300 million U.S. Internet users in the U.S. (85% of us), social networking sites, platforms and apps are the most popular modes of engagement on the Web. Specifically, YouTube has emerged as the most popular website and app for online content consumption. Following YouTube closely was Gmail, the second most popular platform used on the internet and app. The most popular mobile apps, however, are (in order) Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. Online teens largely experience the online world through their use of smartphones, and their use of Snapchat (66%) and Instagram (65%) now surpasses their use of Facebook (61%). More than half (52%) of the teens surveyed reported using KiK Messenger.
Highlight Reel We compare our "behind-the-scenes" life to other people's "highlight reel." Social Currency We connect other people's attention to our self-worth. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) We fear being left out of our group. Online Harassment Over 40% of adults have been attacked on social media. 73% have witnessed harassment. 100% of women, Muslims, and LGBTQ+ have experienced online harassment. COPING STRATEGIES Recognize the problem. Audit your social media diet. (Apps to measure usage - IOS=Moment or Android=Break Free) Create a better social media experience. Model good behaviour.
Round Table Discussion Being a teenager on social media is a full-time job. What's gained and lost when your teen years are spent managing your personal brand? There is compelling evidence that the devices we've placed in our young people's hands are having profound effects on their lives - making them seriously unhappy.
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2017-2018/addicted-to-your-phone
Addicted to your phone? CBC Marketplace Episode Revealing how companies influence us, our brains, our behaviour, our emotions. How they use science to ensure we're more engage in 'the infinite scroll' on our smartphones and tech insiders teach us how to curb the urge to constantly stay connected. David Common went to California to talk to an app developer about how companies keep us hooked on our phones. We track a family's device usage over several months and reveal their staggering results - from the 8 year old son, the teenage daughters to the parents. Plus, David Common gets wired up. We test how his cognitive efficiency changes when he hears that familiar "ping" on his phone
There are many issues with social media use. Here are four safety and security rules that cover many common situations: 1. Keep all of your accounts and your personal data secure. 2. Don’t share any personal information that can jeopardize your physical or mental security or lead to identity theft. 3. If anyone or any ad/posts/images/tweets/etc. make you uncomfortable, or is a form of bullying, stalking, or harassment in any way, stop all contact and report the person, post or situation. 4. Always “be aware of what you share” online – you never know who will see it or when they’ll see it, or how it will be interpreted.