Super Panopticon

The notion of the super panopticon refers to a building such as a prison that is arranged so that all parts of the interior are visible from a single point or a tower. Thus, the super panopticon is based on the idea that if a prison had a tower in the middle and the prisoners were told that they were being watched by guards who patrolled in that tower, the prisoners would behave better because they thought they were being watched. This aspect translates into todays' society as citizens are told that their actions and online presence are being monitored, so they are likely to act in a certain way in order to avoid trouble. However, no one really knows if they are being watched and/or by whom, but the idea that we are being watched often has a large impact on how people act. For instance, in work places especially, employees are more likely to avoid accessing their personal email or Facebook accounts because they may fear that their boss can monitor their internet use and see that they are being unproductive, which may lead to them losing their job. Hence, I think it is the consequence of what might happen when people are under surveillance that many people have the problem with, which translates into skepticism about privacy policies because people are no longer feel 'free' to do what they want. Collectively, I think surveillance is a good thing because many harmful situations can be avoided when they are caught early, but I wonder where the line is drawn when it comes to what agencies do with the data that is not considered threatening (ex. sell it, 'destroy it').

Lateral Surveillance

In today's society, many things are rarely considered private anymore as governments and their agencies are surveilling citizens' every move on and offline. However, it is not only governments and their agencies that are surveilling us, we tend to surveil each other especially online. This form of supervision is called lateral surveillance which is also known as peer-to-peer surveillance and it consists of individuals surveilling others in order to keep track of one another. In addition, the categories of peoples' lives that peer-to-peer surveillance often tracks are other peoples' romantic interests, family, and friends. For instance, finding friends on Facebook in order to keep up with their lives is considered lateral surveillance as well as looking up an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend to see if they have moved on. Although many people may not consider this a form of surveilling, I would argue that as a result of new digital technologies, we have access to information on people that we didn't have before and we don't require their permission in order to access it, so therefore it becomes surveilling.

Fans

When asked: In what ways are you a fan? I immediately think of wearing team memorabilia such as my teams' jersey or a hat with their logo on it. However, I also believe that being a fan goes beyond wearing physical identifiers, and that being fan also means that you are loyal to the individual(s) and you consume what the individual(s) produce(s). For instance, I am a Sam Hunt fan and I have been to one of his concerts, have a Sam Hunt t-shirt and CD, and I express interest in his music when he is discussed by others even if they do not like him. Although I would consider myself a Sam Hun fan, I do not consider myself to be a super fan. A super fan in my opinion would be someone who is obsessed with a team or band for example, who can also goes beyond consuming products and instead becoming a producer through the creation of mash-ups or creating a highlight reel. Overall, fans come in a wide range whether they are a social fan, an average fan, or a super fan; they are all worth studying and looking into further as their level of fandom may identify that each group has a different needs from one another.

Reception Contexts and Media Rituals

Appropriation- how communication technology is acquired.
      An instant of when I can remember acquiring communication technology was in grade 8 when I got a cell phone and was able to communicate with friends as well as download games for it, which helped to keep my attention on it longer. With my cell phone I was able to keep up with the latest gossip and also organize times to hang out with my friends.

Objectification- when the technological object is displayed in the home, the context to which the technology exists in the home.
      When thinking about how technology is displayed in the home and when people come together, I think of how my family television is in the living room, which is close to the kitchen. Thus, after dinner me and my family would watch television and discuss the show during commercials.  Now that we are able to record shows and then pause the T.V. when we have work to do, we schedule a different time to watch a favourite show together or we save it for those who missed it.

Incorporation- the ways in which these technologies were used by those in the household.
      As a student, I use television in my home as a way to relax and watch T.V. mindlessly in order to escape from the demands of my school work. Also, I sometimes watch the new in order to keep up with current events in my area and the world.

Gender- how technology is gendered.
      In some people's households there are televisions in the kitchen that only the mother watches for either cooking purposes or to keep her company during the day. Also, there are televisions that are decorated for boys and girls. For instance, there are Hello Kitty televisions for girls and Spiderman televisions intended for boys. In addition, the technology may be negotiated between the genders on who gets to use it when. For example, when my mom comes home from work, even if my dad or my sister is watching the T.V., they ask my mother what she would like to watch as they understand that she has had a long day and watches television as a way to relax.

Conversion- when information is carried by a communication technology and becomes part of everyday social interaction and builds social capital outside the home. Social capital increases as you know more about what everyone is watching/talking about.
      Before there was YouTube and television recording, if someone missed an episode of a popular show, there was often no way to see it and you were therefore out of the loop in conversations discussing the most recent episode. Thus, without many of the technologies that exist today, many people would lose out on some experiences or gain of social capital if they were not up to date on the most recent media events. For instance, if I were to go a day without using my phone, I would lose contact with many people and not be able to receive updates on their lives and vice versa.

High Holidays- shared mediated moments; bringing people together that changes the status quo.
      The event that I remember that really stopped me in my tracks was the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting. I was studying for an exam the next day with my friends and one of the girls came into the room and told us there was a shooting at an elementary school in the U.S. We all stopped what we were doing and turned on the television to get live updates to see how the kids were doing and to figure out what had happened. There were interviews of people crying and reports of people losing their lives which caused us to watch even longer in disbelief that something so horrible could be happening in that moment. Eventually one of the girls turned the television off and got us all to focus and compose ourselves for the studying that we had to do, but every so often we would take breaks to get the latest updates on peoples' conditions and any new developments.

Gratification Studies

There have been many researchers who have looked into the gratifications of specific technologies and media such as cell phones and reality television. With regards to the study done by Wei and Lo (2006) on cell phones, they found that the main gratifications were: status/fashion, social utility, information-seeking, mobility, accessibility, and affection. I can especially relate to the gratification of status as each time I got a new cell phone, my friends were interested in what phone I got and how it functioned, especially if they didn't have it. Also, my cell phone does provide me with information whether it be through text messaging someone, or checking the news and social media for updates.

As for reality television, Papacharissi and Mendelson (2007) studied its gratifications and found that many people get social interaction from it, as well as companionship, reality entertainment, voyeurism, habitual pass time, and relaxation. Since I watch a few reality television shows, I often have a group of friends that I watch them with so I get the social interaction and companionship from it as we also discuss what happens after each episode ends. In addition, I tend to watch reality television as a way to relax because there is often nothing very complex about the shows and thus they do not require much thinking on my part.

Uses and Gratifications

When reflecting on the technologies we use and why we use them, I think of a telephone and how now there are cell phones which aren't simply used to call one another with, but rather they are used for many other purposes. For instance, people use their cell phone to text message one another which is linked to the gratification of socializing, while also staying informed and connected. In addition, the media technology that exists today, to some extent fulfills levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs which identifies different types of humans' needs as shown below.




Our basic needs are Physiological needs and Safety needs which involve our survival, then as each level of needs gets met, we move up on the triangle in order to achieve the next level. The example of cell phones relates to this hierarchy in that the need for belongingness can arguably be fulfilled by us communicating with other people whether it be through texting or social media. Moreover, some people may achieve their esteem needs of feeling accomplished by posting a picture from their phone online to Facebook or Instagram and seeing how many people like that picture. Overall, technology today has allowed people to stay connected to one another across time and space which I think is a significant need that technology has aimed to somewhat meet.

Thanksgiving Audiences

As I reflect on this past Thanksgiving season, I think about the audiences that I have encountered and been a part of. The first audience that I was a part of was at church where I attended mass and was part of the congregation listening to the homily. As part of the Catholic community, parishioners came together with their families especially at this time to be thankful and to wish one another a Happy Thanksgiving. From being a consistent church goer, I have noticed that when it comes to significant holidays throughout the year, that is when the most amount of people come to church, maybe because they find that time of year to be more important than others, who knows. The audience at church can be compared to that of sports audiences when it comes to playoff games because more people want to show up to those games and show their support while being a part of something bigger than themselves.

On the day my family celebrates Thanksgiving, we host many of our family members for dinner and we also use this time to catch up with one another. That day I noticed many different audiences around my house; the young adults were listening to their older relatives tell stories about when they were children themselves, there were family members playing with the little children in the family room while also making sure they didn't get into trouble, and there were teenagers playing a board game and some of the older relatives watched them in confusion. Thus, some of the audiences were engaged with those they were watching, while others were able to reflect on the similarities and differences between them and their elders. This reminds of early examples where there were older people gathered around a fire telling stories to the young ones and teaching them life lessons. Hence, in my opinion, not much has changed as far as the idea of sharing experiences between the young and the old audiences, but rather the platforms we use to communicate have evolved and that may be why some people in the older generations find it difficult to use newer technology and communicate with the younger generations.

Agenda Setting

Throughout the current Canadian federal election campaign the political candidates have been spreading their messages of change as well as sometimes putting down one another in order to appear as the best person for the job of Prime Minister. Thus the notion of the agenda setting theory has never been more relevant than when describing politics in the media. The agenda setting theory proposes that the media can pick and choose what they release to the public. In addition, the media can fulfill their priorities even if the priorities of the general public differ. Hence, the political leaders frame themselves and their competitors in particular ways by using certain pictures, tones, and information. This framing is important for voters to pick up on and investigate further as the political campaigns only depict part of the facts, manipulate them, or emit certain ones altogether to make themselves look better or their opponent look worse. For example, the Conservative party commercial attached below portrays Justin Trudeau as not being ready, but that's not what caught my attention. What I noticed is that the people in this commercial talk about the Liberal party cancelling income splitting and there is a comment snuck in there that may lead more senior voters to worry about what will happen to them if the Liberal party comes into power.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c86-9HitWg0

However, I am not the only one who has caught on to the Conservative's manipulation of the truth, but rather the Liberal party has formed an ad that may put those senior voters more at ease.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoTsne3QxM8

Realistically, politics will be a part of Canada's future forever, but it is up to Canadians to be critical of those in power and to do their own research into who and what they are supporting instead of relying on the media to inform them since we know that the media has their own agenda to fulfill.

Effects of Media

There is no doubt that in today's society, we are continually bombarded with media content whether it be in the form of advertisements, television shows, video games, or radio broadcasts. Thus, it is not surprising that there is a significant amount of theories and research looking at how media affects the audiences consuming it. For instance, cultivation theory suggests that since we are spending so much time in front of the television, our day to day concept of reality is affected. In other words, what we watch on television can influence our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. An example of this is dietainment which is the current craze on many media platforms that looks at body image, working out, and dieting. The implications of dietainment is that many children may develop eating disorders and have low self-esteem because there is a very particular 'ideal' body type portrayed for both men and women in the media. In addition, the child's reality becomes distorted as they only see these certain body types as being acceptable in society. However, it is important to note that not all effects of media are negative and that some support equality, the development of healthy eating habits, positive body image, and positive outlooks on life in general.

This link is to the dietainment commercial by Cheerios that I find is important to look at since dietainment is becoming more prevalent and is not just affecting girls, but boys as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcvFlUZ_LGA

Defining Audiences

I would define an audience as a group of people who come together either to a physical or virtual space, to view or listen to a presentation anywhere in the world. The presentation can include things such as a concert, sporting event, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, a play, an art show, etc. I chose to define audiences using this definition because it understands that audiences can use different mediums of media technology to come together and that they are part of a larger and more diverse group of individuals who happen to share certain interests. This definition works for me because I believe that audience dynamics have changed over time partially due to technological advancements, and that it is important to include this new type of virtual audience into the study of audiences. Also, with technology at people's finger tips, it opens a new realm of being a part of two audiences at one time.

Why I Care About Audiences

At this point, you may be wondering why I care about audiences. The answer is simple really; it’s because we are all a part of audiences in one capacity or another, and being part of an audience tends to come with certain roles and responsibilities depending on what the context that audience is in. Also, the fact that we as humans are social beings, makes sense as to why audiences and the media outlets they use to express themselves exist in the first place. In addition, I find the question of why people do things and engage in certain things fascinating and by looking at audiences, I can see general views and perspectives from varying types of audiences as to why they choose to participate. So, by studying audiences more in depth, I hope to gain a better understanding of why people choose to participate in certain audiences over others, to discuss whether individuals truly understand that they indeed belong to a much larger, potentially even global audience and what that even means to belong to such a large audience.

Audiences in the News

Although many of us identify as belonging to varying audiences based on our own likes and dislikes, we don't always realize that we are a part of a much larger collective group of individuals that partake in an event or social activity. Thus, many research analysts aim to study why people engage in certain audience behaviours and practices. In addition, the news media sometimes also discusses audiences and often uses the opposing views of audiences creating a supportive environment or how destructive audiences can be.

If you follow the link below, you will find a brief article pleasantly describing performers recognizing that they too are part of audience at the My Favorite Bands Festival and that often times the lines between the audience and the performers can be blurred. I find this article relevant when discussing audience studies because we often forget that even the most famous of people are part of the same audiences that we are. Also, that depending on the atmosphere, the performers can seem like part of the audience, making it a more intimate and personable experience for everyone. Hence, when performers such as musicians are more interactive with their audience, I believe that the viewers enjoy the presentation more and are able to perceive the artist on a more personal level. 

http://www.greeleytribune.com/entertainment/18202438-113/my-favorite-bands-festival-brings-seventh-year-of#

On the other hand, as previously mentioned, the news focuses also on how audiences can be intentionally or unintentionally destructive especially in large groups. For instance, in the article below, people who went to Boots and Hearts 2015 left large amounts of garbage behind that locals hope doesn't wreck the local wildlife.

http://www.orilliapacket.com/2015/08/10/concerns-and-complaints-after-festival

Audiences Then and Now

When I think of how audiences were back then, I think of how my grandparents used to watch musicians play music in the town square or local café. That audiences back then weren't always formally organized, but that it depended on where you were at the time and what your preferences were. Yes there were organized sporting events or plays put on in neighbouring villages, but many people couldn't always afford to travel or they had too many responsibilities at home and therefore had no time to attend. However when my parents were growing up, they experienced slightly more leisure time than my grandparents, which enabled them to spend more time with their friends going to movies and concerts. Also, my parents enjoyed playing sports and so not only were they part of audiences watching other sporting events, they were also at times the ones being watched by various audiences. This gives you a slightly different experience of the audience because you are viewing the audience as they are viewing you. So depending on the performer, some people feed off of the audiences' energy in order to perform better and they see the audience as a supportive fan base. Since being a performer myself whether as an athlete or as a singer, I have found that audiences enjoy being captivated by something and that if they become bored or disinterested they will leave a performance or dive into a different audience altogether. What I mean by this is that in today's society, we don't necessarily need to physically leave a place in order to become a part of a different audience, but that we can do this virtually through the technology that many people have at their fingertips. Whether you log onto Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you then become part of that audience as well. Thus, being part of an audience doesn't always entail going to a physical venue, and instead those who may not otherwise be geographically connected, are now part of a collective virtual audience.