Critical reflective blog of Question#2

In my first blogpost covering the topic of how commercial interests influenced my media use and experience I only scratches the surface of the topic. After completing CMNS201 I have learned a more in-depth view of mass media. I have learned that the average audience member doesn’t fully understand why commercialized media is even a thing. I understood why industries and corporation used advertising as a strategic marketing skill to persuade consumers but I never understood to what extent of that. According to Gasher, Skinner, and Lorimer in the readings of unit 2 of defining mass media, they explain how mass communication and is the transmission and transformation of information on a large scale, such as a form of communication that can reach more people then face to face interactions. I am now aware of the initial source of mass media and how it relates to mass communication and commercial interests. This transitions to why we even receive add and pop ups. According to Martin, M.(1997). Power, control and resistance in mass media, he believes that mass media is a product from a capitalist society, where the ruling class, ie, the government and large industries and corporations, have control of the means of mass media and the ideas that are produce for us to see. They decide what kind of adds we see on social media. I had an idea why I was seeing the adds that I was, but I also had no idea that they had such control over what type of adds I was seeing. Which lads me on to my next topic, why I was seeing these certain adds. I had no knowledge that social networking sites (SNSs) had the power to data mine my private information, such as the things I was interested in or the kinds of products I was searching up. The commercials or adds I was seeing online were specifically generated for me based on what I was interested in or from my geographical position. I would constantly be seeing Canadian sports adds and sports apparel pop ups on my Facebook and Instagram because that’s what I am interested in. Werbin, K. C. (2014). Social media, commodification, and surveillance, describes this perfectly as the paradox of social media. He states that “the advertising you see tends to closely correspond to the content you have recently viewed, or are in the process of viewing in your browser?” Aspects like this are very closely aligned to commodification. I find that to be very interesting but scary at the same time. With the modernization of technology these are aspects that we are going to have to get used to. To say the least, I have cut back on my media use on social networking sites because I am paranoid of who is observing my media intake. The concepts from the readings help me expand my knowledge on how in-depth mass media really is. I view the question of commercial interests completely different now, I see it as how my own media use and experience has created my own personalized commercial interests. HA!

Question #5: How does your media use interact with a notion of Canadian-ness or national belonging?

To be fairly honest, being Canadian rarely affects my media usage. The only one thing that comes to mind with this question is that most of the television shows I watch are broadcasted from somewhere in Canada. Which means the broadcast most often times holds more of a Canadian-ness ideology behind them. For instance, TSN is a Canadian broadcasted show, filmed and produced in Canada, tends to shine more light on Canadian sports teams. I value that because I, being Canadian, would like to hear more on the outcome and scores of the Canadian teams. Social media and ass media also allow me to express myself and my nationality, which I find to be very satisfying.

Grayson Constable

CMNS201

Athabasca University

Question #4: How is your experience of traditional media different from your experience with new media?

Traditional media was introduced to me around the early 2000′s, when landlines and emails were the sole means of online communication. Up until that point I had just been used to watching television. Traditional technology for me really started when I received my first ever flip phone, it was a true game changer. There were very few adds as well as little to no internet accesses. Your range of activates went from basic texting to phone calls and silly little games like brick breaker. Social media had yet to be a major hit. At the time, for myself, MSN was my go to media platform. It was an application that allowed friends to chat online over the computer while you were at home. My experience with new media has been vastly different from back in my childhood. New media has allowed all of us to connect instantaneously, its hand over fist more advanced. Its allowed many people to create new business platforms as well as it has allowed a more dynamic availability to news and resources. For instance, you can now order groceries directly to your front door. This may not be a form of new media but with new advancements in modern technologies, it allow us greater access to larger and more profound mass media. The modernization of media has created such a large gap from where we used to be with traditional media, it has definitely enhanced my media experience from one decade to another.

Grayson Constable

CMNS201

Athabasca University    

Question #3: What is my role as a media audience member?

Although mass media is a significant force for this new day and age, this assignment has helped me experience and understand the use of mass media more clearly then I have in the past. In regards to my role as a media audience members I have found that before this exercise I wasn't fully understanding interpreting mass media. My roll was just as a passive viewer/listener of media. I never took into account the aspects of whether my use was passive or active nor the context of said media. I have become more aware and observant of the media that I am retaining. I have also found myself trying to reach out to new platforms of media, such as news papers ( an old form of mass media but new to me), current events on social media platforms as well as podcasts. I have found that podcasts have become my new favourite form of mass media, mainly because each podcast is different. You are able to chose the type of genre you would like to listen too. This gives me the choice of what type of media I wish to intake. There will still be advertising but that's just the price of consuming media nowadays. I believe my main role as a media audience member is to be able to consume media and properly express the ideologies and context received by said media as well as being able to express my own ideas based on the subjects presented. 

Grayson Constable

CMNS201

Athabasca University 

Question #2: How have commercial interests influenced your media use and experience?

The biggest influences that commercial interests have on my media consumption and experience is primarily surrounding ads and “pop-ups.” Of course from a marketing standpoint it is an extremely useful tool. However, from a consumer standpoint it is really frustrating to have constant interruptions. Especially now with the use of cookies, most ads are tailored to the consumer and it extends across all medias, social or otherwise. So, if I watch a youtube video, it will certainly be interrupted by at least two separate ads, if not more. This in addition to the ads that are always on the side bars. Of course having said this, I can sit here and rationalize that this seems like an entitled complaint. Having said that, throughout the last half a decade technological has made so many advances that there seems to be commercials and adds on just about everything. Its a very good way for producers to reach consumers. I find this to be very obnoxious and overused, but I can understand how it helps businesses outsource their products. Adds and pop ups may seem like a burden but I just seem to find them nowhere out of the ordinary. The adds I receive are manly sports focused because that is the type of media I tend to consume. I find that social media more often then not uses commercial interest the most, if you are scrolling through Instagram for instant, you are likely to come across an add for clothing or jewelry. These tend to make my social media experiences a little less enjoy full.   

Grayson Constable

CMNS 201

Athabasca University  

Question #1: How has media convergence impacted my media use?

The phenomenon of media convergence is not one which I can say has made an impact that I have consciously noticed without some deliberate reflection. As a millennial this convergence feels like the norm. Despite this sense of normalcy, I think it has impacted my use because most of my media consumption is almost always passive. I do not frequently actively and deliberately consume media via mediums such as television, apart from TSN (The Sports Network). Even so, because of the instant accessibility of social media on smart phones, I find I am always multitasking. More often than not while passively watching television, I will also be passively scrolling through social media or communicating with friends through some form of social media. Having said this though, the instant accessibility and dissemination of information and news articles through social media platforms I frequently consume has made me more interested in and aware of current events. What I noticed about my media diet thus far is that I had never actually reflected on my media consumption before this class asked it of me. This seems slightly problematic because I am confident many others within this same generation and those to follow have also never made deliberate reflections on their consumption. My television consumption seems to be a normal amount and it almost always is a social event with friends or my family as we all . Again, I don’t frequently watch television other than SportsCentre and I rarely, if ever, consumer media via print. My social media consumption however, is quite frequent. It is not long or large blocks of use, it is more so constant use throughout the day in very short spurts of a minute or two. Media convergence is also a concept that provides incredible convenience and almost instantly. Whether that is a good or bad thing is tough to say. On one hand, I have connections and information instantly, but on the other, there are so many possibilities for miscommunications and misrepresentations. 

Grayson Constable

CMNS201

Athabasca University