...Limits of Cop-Watching in the Internet Age Brian P. Schaefer Kevin F. Steinmetz University of Louisville, US. brian.schaefer@louisville.edu Kansas State University, US. criminogenic@outlook.com Abstract The internet is considered by many to be a boon for political activists, such as cop-watchers—a free, open, and widespread medium in which to disseminate political messages. While there is truth to these claims, the internet, like any technology, can be used for many purposes and comes with its own arrangement of limitations. To elucidate these limitations and to provide a word of caution about the political potential of the internet, particularly for video-activists/cop-watchers, the theoretical work of Marshall McLuhan is used to understand how the internet, as a medium, shapes and limits political messages. Using McLuhan’s tetrad, this study examines how the internet is problematic for cop-watching groups. In particular, the internet is said to yield consequences through how it (1) enhances or intensifies how the viewer experiences political messages through speed, (2) retrieves the importance of the narrator, (3) renders previous media increasingly obsolete, yet opens up new avenues for commercial dominance, and (4) creates additional reversals or other problems for video activism, such as the mass proliferation of surveillance and formatting discussion in counter-productive ways. Introduction Take a look at the lawman, beating up the wrong...
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...SOCIETIES COMS 240 Communication Theory Synthesis Paper presented to Eric Powell Tutorial Section 1 November 11th, 2013 Through my quest of assessing how communication helps construct reality in societies, I have selected two influential authors in order to assemble correlated concepts and theories to present this synthesis. Firstly, known as a controversial figure of media expansion, Marshall McLuhan expressed his debatable idea of “The Medium is the Message” in his book “Understand Media” written in 1964, as he explained that the media themselves are the very emphasis we should look upon to the contrary of the content they convey. Secondly, James Carey, sharp critic of McLuhan, was best known for identifying the space partiality of modern civilization and was described by Lance Strate (2007) as excellent at “uncovering interrelationships among ideas, perspectives and school of thoughts” (p.177). With this intention, I will compare and contrast how Marshall Mcluhan and James Carey differ in their conception of how communication shapes reality, arguing that Marshall McLuhan concept of the message extracted from the medium constructing reality is superior to James Carey’s theory because his concept of the “medium being the message” emphasizes difference between how and which information is transmitted. To illustrate how Marshall McLuhan’s theory is stronger in terms of constructing reality, this synthesis will discuss how symbols are produced and used as the basis of communication...
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...Marshall McLuhan “The Man behind the message” A professor from Winnipeg, Marshall was one of the world’s most innovative thinkers. His theories about mass media turned him into a media guru. Arguably most famous for his quote “The medium is the message” Many would consider Marshall to be a brilliant man; others would say they don’t understand a word he is saying. I wonder how much thought his skeptics have put into what he had to say. I will agree that some of his theories are not clear at first but once dissected you begin to understand the man behind the message. “The message of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that it introduces into human affairs. The railway did not introduce movement or transportation or wheel or road into human society, but it accelerated and enlarged the scale of previous human functions, creating totally new kinds of cities and new kinds of work and leisure. This happened whether the railway functioned in a tropical or northern environment, and is quite independent of the freight or content of the railway medium. (Understanding Media, NY, 1964, p. 8) What McLuhan writes about the railroad applies with equal validity to the media of print, television, computers and now the internet. “The medium is the message” because it is the “medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action.” (E. McLuhan) Now, some may be thinking that they don’t understand the message of the preceding paragraphs...
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...What is Media Determinism? The concept of Media determinism is so closely associated with technological determinism, it may be helpful to first consider a definition of technology. At its most basic level, technology was defined by Monsma (1986), who used the Greek word technologia, to mean, "the systematic treatment of an art." Monsma also made reference to Rhetoric in which Aristotle used technique to refer to "a systematic treatment of grammar or speech" (p. 11). In the forward to The Technological SocietyRobert Merton defined technique as, "any complex of standardized means for attaining a predetermined result" (p. vi). Jacques Ellul (1964) defined technique as "the totality of methods rationally arrived at and having absolute efficiency in every field of human activity" (p. xxv). Ellul also offered communication theorist H. D. Lasswell's definition of technique as, "the ensemble of practices by which one uses available resources to achieve certain valued ends" (p. 18).Determinism is a philosophical system, mainly concerned with axiological issues, for analyzing cause and effect and the individual's freedom to choose. The spectrum ranges from existentialism on one extreme, to fatalism on the other (Hunnex, 1986), or from libertarianism to hard determinism (Geisler, 1980). * Hard Determinism: Hard determinists hold that the universe is rational and that cause and effect relationships permit us to know future effects with certainty. The ethical issues raised by questions...
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...“News from Global Village” Media guru Marshall McLuhan was certainly accurate about his future projection of electronic technology and the size of the impact it would have in the world. McLuhan was the first person to popularize the concept of a global village and to consider it social effects; little would he have known that ten years after his death the World Wide Web will be invented and his prophecy will be fulfilled and exceed expectations. He provided the foundation of thought about media, technology, and communication. Today technology has provided a way for people to search and reach any sort of information within seconds, people from different continents can see each other via chat room and web cameras, blogs and news are available instantly for anyone that has access to the internet. According to McLuhan, in the new age humankind will move from individualism to a fragmentation of collective identity, developing a new social organization. The term “global village” can have several meanings behind it, however my understanding McLuhan uses the word “global” to emphasize that this change is taken place throughout the world from the richest country to the third world countries that are getting a share of the new technologies now available to everyone that is willing to learn, and the term village can refer to the specific identity and diversity that this phenomena has created within humankind everywhere all over the world. Today instead of using the library as reference...
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...Today, the term global village which was coined by McLuhan is mostly used as a metaphor to describe the Internet and World Wide Web. According to McLuhan modern communication technologies such as radio and television globalize communication by allowing users from all levels of society around the world to easily connect with each other and exchange ideas instantaneously. We are to a large extent dependent on regular contact with the new media for information, entertainment ,ideas ,opinions and many other things all of which are connected to our attempt to make sense of who and what we are. The growth in the technology sector is so high that it has made us addicted to it and does not let us function without its presence in our lives. As “McLuhan said that technologies are the extensions of the human body” hence the recent new media technology to be discussed here would be the Internet. Most people, when asked to describe new media, refer almost instantly to the Internet (Lohr, 2003). Internet has made the world a very small and close place to live in where one can be updated with all the major happenings around the world in fraction of seconds. Internet provides us with lot of information on one particular topic and also saves time. No matter what the age or the circumstance would be it is very necessary for people to communicate with each other. Communication is a prerequisite for each activity. However, when considering newer automated communication systems, the...
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...Charles Dong Cultural Foundation III Professor Bauman Essay #2 Metropolis ----The Shift From Mechanical Technology To Electrical Technology Arguably the most influential Science Fiction film of all time, Fritz Lang's “Metropolis” (1926) is one of those remarkable works that provides the audience with both visual enjoyments from its high aesthetic standard and spiritual value from the hidden significances. As one of the most widely known films of the silent era, “Metropolis” engages people to think, particularly how to resolve the fragmentation that technology has brought to society, which is also one of the themes of Marshall McLuhan develops in his book Understanding Media. Both Lang and McLuhan are revolutionary artists who are aware of the damage of technology to our society and urge unity, which McLuhan names it “Global Village.” Let’s first take a look at the opening of this movie. The film begins with a montage of the great machines of Metropolis–phallic industrial images of gears, pistons, generators–moving in inexorable rhythms and repetition. These images are followed by sequences that establish economic and technological relationships in clearly delineated spatial terms. Under ground, where the workers toil, we see the dark side of technology. Here, where the sun never shines, workers are reduced to robots, their movements dominated by the mechanical rhythms of machines. But all in a sudden, the screen is switched a charming, or even paradise-like, scene. On...
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...shift in technology from analogue to digital became apparent, a decoder was made for the masses to receive television that previously had to be paid for in subscription. The digital box extends the amount of channels sent on one signal, increasing the media coverage and which in turn “creates extensions of the human body and senses” according to McLuhan, every extension has an amputation. The digital box is an over extension of the television, it has become part of television to extent senses and body for the masses. This has established a wider connection, forming a larger global tribe and opening up more space for information from the media to the senses. The demand for constant supply of content has distorted our global view, everything must be simultaneous and we must be involved in everything. Everything we must be involved in is shown on digital television. The chances to connect with more people than before is immense, their visions and their ideas are now at the forefront of our technology. In theory this should extent the broadcasting systems to reach more people and more people, creating a clearer view of the world. As McLuhan has put it “the electronic age’ has sealed ‘the entire human family into a single global tribe.” This should reach out as a united front connecting every singular person through the medium of television. The digital box has lifted restraints from singular large corporations, creating much smaller independent companies. This gives more of an opening...
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...real events -Naas & Moon (2000) 'What have you done in your life that you feel most guilty about? 'Computer discloses it crashes for no reason 'People more willing to disclose information (more likely to disclose info to computers rather than actual people) Health Implications -Van Den Bulck (2003) 'Survey 2,500 adolescents '14% stated they were woken up at night by test 1-3 times a month -Van Den Bulck (2007) '1600 adolescents 'Cell phone use at night and quality of sleep 'More than 60% of users reported using their cell phone after their lights were out. Chapter 12 Why McLuhan -Stirred discussion that has lasted over 40 years -implications are far reaching and provocative -his theories are a great contrast to scientific thinking Pember Today is December 31st at Midnight Mechanical December 27th Radio and Motion Pictures invented at 9am this morning McLuhan Considered himself a prober/explorer Found it a luxury Periods of time The Tribal Age Communication was Oral No Alphabet or system of writing Heavy reliance on acoustics and sound All-at-onceness Processed all sound information simultaneously Print Age 1500BCE- Phonetic alphabet emerged Printing press – formal transition into print age sight becomes more important for information can detach from the tribe and still be informed Linear information processing Letters have...
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...In his book, McLuhan defines his concept of a hot medium as the one “extends one single sense in high definition, the state of being well filled with data” (22) . In this case, people hardly put their own effort in getting the information but receive the information by visual or oral means. On the other hand, “cool” mediums are “high in participation or completion by the audience” (23), requiring much involvement from different sensories. Reviewers on Yelp go to the place, taste the foods, sense the aura of the restaurant, and especially put their thoughts into words. The combination of these different actions shows that Yelp is an example of a predominantly “cool” medium. Yelp puts the role of the authority on the customers, given that customers control their own discoveries of the local businesses, by means of touching, writing, and seeing. The sense of affiliation is reflected on the way users touch the screen, scroll up and down the screen to read different reviews and see their photos. All these gestures of finding information on Yelp are far more active than sitting at places to absorb information through means of “hot media” such as radios or televisions. Yelp exemplifies another important idea of McLuhan’s which states...
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...Audience Analysis By Student COM 285 April 04, 2012 Teacher Audience Analysis By definition “Audience analysis” is led by technical writers in an assignment's initial periods. It comprises of assessing the audience to make sure the information provided to them is at the suitable level. The addressees are often mentioned as the end-user, and all communications need to be targeted towards the defined audience. Outlining an audience requires the thought of many factors, such as age, culture and knowledge of the subject. Considering these aspects, a silhouette of the intended audience can be shaped, allowing authors to transcribe in a manner that is agreed by the projected viewers. As this week assignment, need to present quarterly sales information at an in-person meeting to a group of stakeholders, including managers, salespeople, and customers. Knowing your audience, it is always important to design your approach tacked and what is the best practices to get this information to them. This paper will look into these different methods. It is important to know the characteristics of the audience. Certain things must be considered like how large is the audience? Does the audience know you in-person? Do the audience and the presenter have any variances that would present barriers with communication to overcome? Does the audience know about this topic? Are there any topics that my audience need or not need to know? And how will the audience use this information...
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...In Neil Postman's novel, Technopoly: the Surrender of Culture to Technology, he describes a society where technology is deified and, in fact, becomes a source of rationalization in which it takes the place of humans. His basis for technological theology is attributed to whom he describes as the founder of scientism, namely the belief that empiricism or positivism grounded in pure scientific discovery would tell us all we need to know about the world excluding the need for metaphysics or religion. Science, in turn, accordingly became the new god and technology, a branch and product of science, become deified as its mirror image. Postman describes technopoly as a "totalitarian technocracy" - totalitarian in that it is worshipped as an authoritative, all-controlling voice that demands the "submission of all forms of cultural life to the sovereignty of technique and technology" (Postman, 52) - drawing on Ellul for credence. Ellul's ideas of technology were that technology was a category independent to human action that was autonomous, "self-determinative" and undirected in its growth and reducing human life to finding meaning in machines (Ellul,13). Thus Postman, elaborating on Ellul, saw technology (primarily, but not exclusively, in the shape of computer) striving for world domination and that technology has been for a long time the god of humans.Others whom Postman draws upon are Harold Innis' concept of "knowledge monopolies" that explains the ways in which technology usurps...
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...1. Identify four roles the media performs in our society. 2. Recognize events that affected the adoption of mass media. 3. Explain how different technological transitions have shaped media industries. In 2010, Americans could turn on their television and find 24-hour news channels as well as music videos, nature documentaries, and reality shows about everything from hoarders to fashion models. That’s not to mention movies available on demand from cable providers or television and video available online for streaming or downloading. Half of U.S. households receive a daily newspaper, and the average person holds 1.9 magazine subscriptions.7, 8A University of California, San Diego study claimed that U.S. households consumed a total of approximately 3.6 zettabytes of information in 2008—the digital equivalent of a 7-foot high stack of books covering the entire United States—a 350 percent increase since 1980.9 Americans are exposed to media in taxicabs and buses, in classrooms and doctors’ offices, on highways, and in airplanes. We can begin to orient ourselves in the information cloud through parsing what roles the media fills in society, examining its history in society, and looking at the way technological innovations have helped bring us to where we are today. What Does Media Do for Us? Media fulfills several basic roles in our society. One obvious role is entertainment. Media can act as a springboard for our imaginations, a source of fantasy, and an outlet for...
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...change influenced by the web is education. The Internet is a library of infinite knowledge, and like all knowledge, some can help us and some can hurt us. Although there are numerous beneficial effects that the web has on education, I will address three: research, interactivity, and advancement. Research Having a virtual library with the ease and convenience of the Internet, students can be more efficient, resourceful, and creative in their schoolwork and research. Schoolwork can be submitted legibly by electronic mail, saving paper, time, and difficulty. The mere understandable, clear, and consistent typography of electronic media is a benefit in itself. Marshall McLuhan, author of Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, explains that typographic extensions brought man universal literacy and education (McLuhan 235). Furthermore, primary and secondary research can be conducted through the web. A student can interview a foreigner or visit the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, the White House Archives, and libraries from all over the world, traveling to places their circumstances might prevent. I know personally that when I was in high school, research on the Internet was almost mandatory. Most schools were taking a proactive approach to the integration of technology in the education system. Teachers would research and find articles from the Internet to incorporate into the lesson for the day. I must point out that although I attended high school in the late 90s, the school...
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...Mass Media Mass media are means of communication that are used to reach the general public for the purpose of creating audiences for information, artistic expression, and other kinds of messages. Although the word mass suggests large numbers of people, the term is subjective, with standards of measurement relative to the normal capabilities of a given medium. For example, 1 million books sold nationally is more impressive than a national television audience of 1 million viewers. The word media is also commonly used as an aggregate noun to refer to the entire industry, often because of a perceived homogeneity or sameness of point of view. Because the ability to reach large segments of the public is of great value in commerce, politics, and a society's culture, the mass media are usually controlled by corporations (as in the United States) or by national governments (as in China). The mass-media industry employs professionals to conceive, produce, promote, and deliver communication products that are specifically designed to meet the goal of attracting large audiences. These products may be sold as objects (such as books or digital videodiscs [DVDs]), exhibited for the price of a ticket or subscription (such as movies shown in cinemas or on premium or pay-for-view cable TV channels), or offered at no cash cost to consumers so as to create an audience for paid advertising (such as commercial television or radio broadcasts). Some of the mass media use combinations of these funding...
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