Media and The Lonely Deviant

Every time I consume mass media such as TV, podcast, newspaper, etc; I always have a battle in my main. The main question appears in my brain: 

Am I the “queen/king audience?” (who can be freely interpret the media and have full command to my mind), or Am I the “slave audience” who follows the representation in media message and follows the media interpretation power about the world? Frankly speaking, I do not like to be in the second choice because: “I’m (not) a slave for you (media)” (Britney Spears, 2001) but my resistant and rejection doesn’t mean that I am immune to media message injection. 

Orthodox media concern on “media polysemy and semiotic democracy,” which means that the audience will have diversity in understanding the media message. Diversity and resistant exist but it doesn’t mean that the audience is free, have power, and strengthen the idea of audience democracy. The second challenge is the audience is not necessarily always able to analyze, reject, or interpret the media. Therefore sometimes (for certain issues especially something that the audience have no direct connection with it) audience will get influence by the media. I have seen an interesting research when I was in high school. Someone put a glass of water which is labeled “HIV person has drunk from this glass, would you dare to drink from the same glass?” and no body dare to try it! After I ask whether they believe that HIV AIDS has no influence through saliva, and they say yes, but they just fell disgust and reduce any possibility of AIDS in their life. It means that active audience does not necessarily immune to media exposure (p.415) and inconsistency in interpretation and reaction occur.  

In my opinion, people tend to have stronger opinion to fight the mainstream media message if the issue is connected with their daily experience or the issue tend to jeopardize their communal believe. For example it is easier for Indonesian people to distrust the media message that Indonesia is the invader of East Timor (such as from the news of CNN, ABC or documentary film from Noam Chomski). They have personal experience from communal sharing or parental information that many people of East Timor want to be part of Indonesia but they are forced to be in East Timor or East Timor is poor and unstable therefore it is disadvantages for them to release from Indonesia, and all the idea that Indonesia “save” East Timor from problem by “in-vade-tegrate” them (Facebook response).

The resistant or diverse believe is strong because of the collective meaning has confirm individual believe. I think I am able to be resistant to media message or association for certain issue related to my life. However I am not the “strong queen”, I need various dependent variables to help me convince myself that my belief is true through communal validation (culture or behavior), alternative media confirmation (still media but at least it is not mainstream), and personal experience (which should be confirm by other’s experience). Those are all my excuse of being deviant. 
“I can be deviant but I do not want to be alone!”

"HOT" Ideas for future research:

a. Research in the variety of news/issues perspectives in digital media, such as YouTube, blogs, or website. For example: How Web 2.0 frames an issue, such as abortion, East Timor, tobacco campaign, etc. (choose one)

b. Research using FGD or interview about people's opinion on certain controversial news or news that is assumed as biased in mass media

c. The motivation of people looking for alternative information in digital media than conventional media.

Media and New Revelation of Public Sphere

I personally agree to skeptical opinion of Habermas in his prediction that mass media (pollster and media experts) will more likely emerge the public opinion. Pollster is one of the ways of shaping the public opinion. From our education, we are trained to complete our argumentation which is based on evidence, statistic, or number. Therefore, when we see statistic somehow we think that it is the whole fact without considering the methodological and validity of the statistic. United State have pre-polling (polling before election), and I found that certain media sometimes make one candidate win and other loose or at least slightly loose in pre polling because this media is the align of one candidate. 

In 2008, CNN polling reported that 55% of people think Obama cared to more people, and 30% think McCain cared to more people (Oct/7). Interestingly, FOX created polling and made McCain slightly win than Obama, which is 45% for McCain and 42% for Obama (Sept/8). This is aimed to create public opinion in each group of audience. In another aspect, mass media such as newspaper or online news has power to transform editorial opinion to public opinion because of the strong power of message dissemination and if the society is weak in their critical thinking or society already agree on the opinion but need confirmation from media, therefore it is ‘a piece of cake’ to shape public opinion. For example CNN editorial which I think tend to refer to the idea of Democratic Party, would usually create editorial that send the message which they hold on such as “peace, freedom, and equality”. 

As a sample, the editorial of Dean Obeidallah who is an award-winning comedian Arab-American. He has appeared on "Axis of Evil", "The View, "What the Week", etc. He portrayed clearly in the value of Democratic Party and obviously pointed at FOX as those who demonize religion or race. I think CNN can create public opinion about certain value and strengthen the opinion which co-exist within their permanent audience and ‘brainwash’ their newbie audience by bringing them to media owner opinion.

New media, such as blog, facebook, twitter, e-group discussion, in my opinion bring new atmosphere in the debate of public sphere. It is an alternative path to find public dialogue, debate, and permeate the boundaries of equality, geographic, and social structure (you can be anonymous in internet, thus “nobody know you are an intelligent dolphin or the genius penguin Madagascar in the internet”). Even though there are many weakness of internet in facilitating public sphere, but Arab spring has proved that national revolution could be organize through Facebook, or Burma movement against Junta Military could be formed through SMS, even one hundred thousand dollar for donation could be reach through Twitter from Justin Bieber who make sympathy status statement to Christchurch. This era, somehow bring conventional media (TV, radio, Newspaper) change their strategy to fulfill the society spirit to engage in citizen participation and mediate the public sphere in more optimistic way. I am calling this the new revelation of public sphere. It brings new spirit, new direction of life and new hope, just like the revelation era of mega churches in 1950. Maybe I am too optimistic to contemporary media, and too pessimistic to traditional media, but I believe when society participate in all kind of media and the access for the emerging democracy will appear. 

"Hot" Ideas for Further Research:

 a. Comparing political polling framing in conventional media. Find out who is the winner in media A and who is the winner in media B.

b. How digital media engage citizens in political conversations? Good question, can you do the research?

c. You can also explore this one: The participation forms of particular group such as young people, mother, senior citizens, veteran, etc in digital media and politic (choose one and focus).

The Resistance of Hidden Group in the Blogosphere: Watch out! Your Enemy Might Make a Blog About You, Babe!

NOW, let’s talk about the media we use, the BLOG! Blogosphere is a medium that reaches a worldwide community, is unbounded by time and geography. Practically, blog users must affirmatively search the blog, thus many scholars argue that blogs attract homogenous group readers or niche audiences who have pre-existing interest to the issue or particular subjects (Terrilli&Arnorsdortir, 2008). Mark Warren Liew, in his study on the exploration of student resistance, contends, “an informal blogosphere thrives beyond these official uses, characterized by all manner of backstage talk, from casual chatting, joking, and banter to vicious complaints, slander, and rumor” (2010, p. 306). Thus, individuals or groups use blogs to express their opinion towards authoritative objects, such as religious leaders, teachers (yeah, the teacher that become the “student enemy”), governments, legislators, and maybe you ... With the freedom of expression in the blogosphere, individuals or groups are able to publicly humiliate, criticize, and mock the authoritative objects. This expression is a part of the resistance towards the hegemonic culture or dominant publics. This is include corporations or conventional mass media.

 As Samuel Terrilli and Liney Inga Arnorsdottir contend that blog is not a “no choice” area, where people have no choice to consume the message, people need to affirmatively search the blog (2010), just like you end up finding this blog. For example, a medium such as a public advertisement sometimes “imposes” its message on the audience. However, blogs are located in a virtual area, where people choose to search it, click it, open it, and eventually read or consume the message. Blogs are not a “pop up” media (taaa daaa…), where people can get a surprise because the message suddenly appears and audiences are “forced” to see it (I’m a bit hyperbolic here). Therefore, in terms of choices, exposing blogs’ messages requires more effort because blogs are in a virtual free public access; people have to search for this blog, and eventually decide to look at the content (audience “on demand” process).

The nature of the blogosphere, also determines the typological audience from this message. The audience who do not demand to search for a particular message will not get exposure to it. Amanda Lenhart and Sussanah Fox also pointed out the homogenous audience and the niche community of the blogosphere, providing a unique audience and community interaction.

“HOT” IDEAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:

a.     Exploring the conversation in the blog about the form of resistance from “opposition” group of society to government or dominant group

b.     Search for visual production as a symbol of resistance in the blog

c.      (this one a bit scary) find “unique” group such as terrorist group, polygamist group, or rebellion group, and observe their conversations in the blog.

Baidu VS Google: Who wins?

Search engine such as Baidu and Google can be considered as an important source for information gathering, surveillance upon particular issue, and understanding information framing perceived by Internet users (Segev, 2010; Li, 1998, Kennedy, 2009). Using the Panopticon metaphor—what the hec is this Panopticon thing? Well, read Foucoult and you’ll understand, simple thing I could say is government control every movement of citizen-- (Tsui, 2001), Baidu’s system limits information, news, and article for the government security issue and targets the Chinese users (Barbosa, 2010). Even though Google also obeys the Internet censorship policy by the “Great Firewall of China” (BBC, 2006), but Google have less restricted content, targets for more global users, and concerns with more global content (Rand, 2008). Therefore, Baidu become more Chinese oriented search engine and Google become more global oriented search engine.

If you ask me who is the winner? Then, the answer will be depending on which market are you talking about? In China, there are 77% users for Baidu, and only 33% Google. But in the world, Google is the king! Now, Google or Baidu is your choice. If you speak, understand Chinese writing, and you want to get information about China, Baidu is the answer. But if you speak English, (I think so, if not how could you come to my blog and read these things hehehe…) then Google can answer you question. 


So Google it! Opps… no Verb for google BABY! coz google do not want to loose the copyright of its name… hehehhe…(this one would be another discussion in another post)

“HOT” IDEAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:

hmmm… maybe these are useful for the marketing students:

a.     I wonder how Baidu attracts more Chinese, I mean in which aspects Baidu is more attractive than Google, name, “Made in China” thing, or what? Explore this question, babe!

b.    Search for the panoptical practices in Baidu, that would be interesting

c.     Examine the different result findings between Baidu and Google.

Want to Vomit, Turn it off, or Vegetarian? Meet Your Meat Video

I am overwhelmingly drawn to video of “Meet Your Meat” in Youtube, which is posted by PETA and simultaneously sickened by them. For years I have been eating meat on my plate in various forms of food without thinking where and how this meat came from and how the animal is killed for the sake of delicious friend chicken, yummy steak, hamburger, etc.  Awww… I am hungry now.

The video portrays the undercover investigation of animal farm, to see how human treat animal during their life in the farm and how human finally killed this animal. The brutalization of the image in “Meet Your Meat” is often bravely shown blood, the painful voice of animal, violation action to animal, etc. (Don’t vomit, and keep reading, this pain will soon be finished). 

Thus, the video is not only shown slaughtering process of animal, but also the torture that human has done in order to give painful remark in every slice of meat. The conventions of scene in the video are disconcerting for me as “meat-tarian” and pushing me to change my life style to be vegetarian, to overcome my guilty feeling as a human who involved in killing the animal by consuming them. CONFESSION: Well, eventually I am still a meat lover, xixixixi.....

 The video from PETA is one of the videos in digital media, which uses persuasive approach through emotional appeal, to create certain sensation to their audience through the visualization of animal torture. The viewers of this video reach until 14.353.689 viewers (9/17/11). Through the development of Internet, individual or organization can easily upload video to gain their objective. 

The video of PETA has illustrated the idea of power and image.  This video has created a disturbance in audience cognition (Maybe you remember CDT, Cognitive Dissonance Theory by Festinger, 1957), vivid memory, and persuasive message in the same time. PETA wants to offer emotional attach to the audience with the issue they want to advocate in the public sphere. However, the use of visual rhetoric for emotional appeal may in lead into action, but also rejection, development of other emotional appeal, and confirmation of co-exist commitment.

“HOT” IDEAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:

Actually many researches have been done for PETA, because PETA is pretty “interesting” for scholars, but you still can have research on:

a.  Exploring the audience’s response on PETA video through quantitative research such as survey or FGD

b.   Research on other PETA’s persuasive message, because they have tons that pretty much similar. Maybe textual analysis or rhetorical criticism can be done

c.  Find out the visual pattern of vegetarianism through YouTube content analysis, Fun!!!

SRI PARTY for Sri Mulyani, Indonesia 2014: Facebook On Fire

Reading the “SRI Party Maneuver for Elections” in Jakarta Post on Monday, 01/09/2012, it tickles me to explore deeper on why SRI Party, which failed to pass the “verification” test at the Law and Human Rights Ministry, still “on fire” (no better words to express this except in Sundanesse: keukeuh) to shot more maneuvers for 2014 Presidential Election in my beloved country: Indonesia.

What can we celebrate through their effort and “why on earth” this is an intriguing indication of democratic participation in Indonesia?

Let me track back, what so unique about the development of SRI Party briefly. The Facebook Group "We believe in the Integrity of Sri Mulyani Indrawati" reached over 131,000 members in only one month. This number of people is only 0.3% of Facebook users population in Indonesia or only 0.05% of total population in Indonesia. However, this public support reached more than 100.429 members in just a month according to Detik.com (Wednesday, 24/02/10). This Facebook group became a public advocacy from the members to Sri Mulyani as an individual in political problem. 

The group support continued further by building the social movement of SMI Keadilan (Solidaritas Masyarakat Indonesia untuk Keadilan) or SMI Justice (Solidarity of Indonesian Society for Justice). It is also the abbreviation of the inspired figure of this movement, Sri Mulyani Indrawati (SMI). The social movement uses social media mainly to mobilize their activities in every province.

The next phase after Facebook group in provincial-based was they have the intention to build political party.  The objective is to support their inspired figure to enter the presidential candidacy in 2014. The development of SRI Party demonstrated the promising prediction on the power of Social Media to offer wider opportunity in participatory democracy. Wooley (2010) argued that Facebook could be used to counter dominant discourses. At that time, the dominant discourse is on the negative judgment to Sri Mulyani in regards to her responsibility in giving bail out to Century Bank. The Facebook group offer alternative perspective upon that issue, by supporting Sri Mulyani.

Tanis and Postmes (2003) also mentioned that Facebook groups enable individuals to present the wide variety of information about their provision or displeasure for a cause, issue, or candidate. Norris (2003) mentioned it as ‘interactive linkage between citizens’. Here, Facebook members can express their opinion about the issue of Sri Mulyani and other political concerns, they even can create their own individual production and engage in political discourse in creative and free way.

Even though, SRI Party is still new; however, it goes to further question on Earl and Shussman (2003) point of view on the ‘members’ convert to ‘users’, that people tend to disengage after the action they support in digital media develop further. The enthusiasm of membership who want to join the party need longer time to be gained members in Facebook, especially when we compare with the beginning of this movement in “We believe in the Integrity of Sri Mulyani Indrawati” Facebook Group. This situation challenges the commitment of members, since virtual members have weak-tie bonding (Kavanaugh et al, 2005). Thus, the commitment of virtual supporter cannot guarantee the “real” support (Loader, 2010; Diani 2000; Clark & Themudo 2003) in Sri Party. So, for supporters of Sri Mulyani, I suggest to go to the “field” and search for “real” member and not only concentrating on “online members.

Cheers!

“HOT” IDEAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:

a.     Research in quantitative content analysis on the categories of political Facebook conversation

b.    Exploring the idea of citizenship through Facebook especially in political campaign, through discourse analysis or qualitative research

c.     Examining the motivation of Facebook members to engage in politic and how do they communicate through Facebook

Undress the Ads: The Carnival of American Atheist

This ads is the most recent billboard on American Atheist “You Know It’s a Myth” 2011 Campaign. In 2010, the atheist group conducted the campaign by placing billboard with the theme "You Know It’s a Myth, This Season Celebrate Reason" in Christmas time.  

 I think the most interesting words are the words “37 million of Americans know Myth when they see them,” which show the involvement of the communicator in the advertisement. Those words also provide the statistical data about the number of Atheist people (the 37 million Americans). According to New York Times (Otterman, 2011), the Billboard with the dominant color of orange and black, have cost $ 25.000 for the placement price. Fantastic!!! Just wonder, with that much money, I can study in the USA for a year or eat Thai food for 10 years! David Silverman, The President of American Atheist argued that the purpose of this billboard is to “call out” the atheist to confess honestly about who they are. He says, “We want people to realize that there may be atheists in their family, even if those atheists don’t even know they are atheists” (Otterman, 2011). Hmm… just makes me think about ‘gay’ movement, isn’t it similar?

The billboard shows the carnival approach by questioning the hierarchy in social perception. Both Jesus and Satan are together in one line, is the typical approach of deconstructing the social structure or decoding dominant structure (Hall, 2006). The advertisement also bravely encourages people not to have fears on sanctify things (Bakhtin, 1984), such as “god,” “devil,” monster underneath your bed,” or whatever you called as sanctified.   

Now, let me play more: the words “What do you see?” in the middle of the four figure shows the “soft” approach by giving options to the audience on how they want to interpret the four figures. The atheist group did not say “You see them as myth” to the audience or “dictating” the audience to perceive the four figures as myth. Instead, they give question to the audience by a reflective and descriptive question of “what do you see?” The open question towards the sanctified figures provides spaces for the audience to believe in their own interpretation. It also allows different interpretation that challenges the dominant construction (Martin&Renegar, 2007; Hall, 2006).

The word “you” show the emphasize value of human power. The combination of an implicit approach and a deep meaning by playing the font of the words also bring atheist’s objective to value intellectuality and human power in constructing the existence of mystical objects (Dawkins, 2006). Simple way for example: human create “god” through their own thought (I did not mean to persuade you in this value, just an example, ok babe!)

How amazing it is to “undress” an ad! Let’s find another ads and discuss!

“HOT” IDEAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:

a.   Research on “the Ads war” between Atheist and Christians group in the Christmas season in the USA.

b.    Exploring the pattern of Ads approach from Atheist group by looking at Kenneth Burke’s frames or other scholars.

c.    A textual analysis on movies about the atheist or God discourse such as “the community” TV show