Representation and the Construction of Social

RealityChapter 3

© Group 2

Thu HiềnBảo TrânBích NgọcDuy ĐứcTrang Đài

OUTLINE• The semiotic approach by Ferdinand de Saussure Thu Hiền • The discursive approach by Michel Foucault Bảo

Trân

Representation and the Construction of Social Reality

“…is the production of the meaning of the concepts in our minds through language.

…is the link between concepts and language…”

(Stuart Hall, Representation: Cultural Representations and Practices, 1997)

The phenomenon of teenage violence in Victoria, British

Columbia

INCREASE!!!!

DECREASE!!!!

Media Statistics

The phenomenon of teenage violence in Victoria, British

Columbia

1984 20010

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

The youth popula-tionThe youth crime

Youth crime = 50% of the youth population

“Language and other structures of representation

construct rather than reflect the reality.” INCREASE!!!

! DECREASE!!!!

Media Statistics

Post structuralism

Research Questions (p.58-59)

1. How do language and other sign systems work to create (or signify) social meanings?

2. How do different media genres (ads, news, entertainment) and different types of media (TV, print) help shape the production of meaning?

The Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. Language = a system of signs expressing

ideas.What is a sign?“A sign can be a word, a gesture, a facial expression, an image, a musical note, even an item of clothing – anything that refers to something else, and is recognized as doing so by users of the sign system.” (p.60 – para.1)

1. How do language and other sign systems work to create social

meanings?

Saussure’s structuralism

The two parts of a sign:

LION

CONCEPT

FORM

© http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem02.html

The relationship between the signified & the signifier

© Semiotics: The theory behind media literacy

- Inseparable- Arbitrary- Determined by societal

convention

- Inseparable- Arbitrary- Determined by social conventions

© Semiotics: the theory behind media literacy

“COCK”

SemioticsWhat is semiotics?Semiotics = the study of role of signs as part of social life. (http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem01.html)

Leading modern semiotic theorists: the French cultural theorist Roland Barthes.

Modern semiotic theory stresses the role of ideology.

Myth todayMyth is a second-order semiotic system. “…elaborates Saussure’s theory of how

meaning is encoded in signs...” (p.62 – para. 3)

Levels of meaning1. DenotationA photograph of the movie star

2. Connotation3. Mythological (or

ideological)

A photograph of the movie star Marilyn Monroe.

Depression, drug-taking, etc.

The Hollywood dream.

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem06.html

Discourse and Power

Discourse is about the production of

knowledge through language.

Michel Foucault

Nothing has any meaning outside

of discourse.

Historicizing discourse: discursive practices

Things meant something and were true, only within a specific historical context.

Discourse produced forms of knowledge, objects, subjects and practices of knowledge, which differed radically from period to period.

Female hysteria (or hysterical woman)

A new kind of criminality – “mugging”

“Carjacking”

“Home invasion”

“Drive-by shooting”

The Social Construction of YouthA ‘Youth’ - a person between 15 and 25.‘Youth’ – a slippery concept with no clear

biological or cultural grounding.‘Youth’ – the dominant class was closely tied to

urban development.The formation of youth gangs and subcultures.

Media and Youth CrimeCrime is a dominant feature in news.The media make crime stories meaningful.Crime stories play a key role in defining the

bounds of community.The media focus on particular crimes at

particular times and particular forms of crime rather than others.

Victoria’s (not-so-nice) secret

Moral PanicA moral panic is an intense feeling

expressed in a population about an issue deemed to be a threat to, or shocking to the “proper” social.

Moral panic is partly caused by the media to society.

SummaryRepresentation is the process by which

members of a culture use language to produce meaning.

Post-structuralism: languages construct rather than reflect reality.

Semiotics: sign = signifier+signified. The three levels of meaning: Denotation – Connotation – Myths.

Meaning is a result of a signifying practice. Discourse is a system of representation which is

about the production of knowledge through language.

The media do not just inform us about events that are going in our society; it re-present those events as part of what society should look like.

Discussion Questions1. “Q: When is a sheep not a sheep?

A: When it’s a work of art.” (Damien Hirst, Away from the Flock, 1994)

Imagine that the sheep mentioned above is Dolly - the first mammal to be cloned, explain this answer. 2. Give an example of an advertisement, in which

the theory of modern Semiotics by Roland Barthes is applied.

3. Find and talk about at least two examples of moral panic in Vietnam recently (consider words or phrases that have entered, or re-entered, public discourse recently to describe "new" social phenomena).

CHAPTER 2

:

ADVERTIS

ING

© G

RO

UP

2

    

OUTLINE

Approaches to Advertising

The Cult You’re In, Kalle Lasn

Salespeak, Roy Fox

Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals, Jib Fowles

How Advertising Informs to Our Benefit, John E. Calfee

Images of Women in Advertising Trang Đài

You’re Soaking In It, Jennifer L. Pozner

Beefcake and Cheesecake: Insight for advertisers, Marilyn

Y.Jones, Andrea J.S.Stanalan and Betsy D.Gelb

Bích Ngọc

Duy Đức

The Cult You’re In Kalle Lasn

The effect of all of the products and brand names that Lasn

includes in this article

Nike sneakers

A Planet Hollywood cap

Tommy Hilfiger jackets

Air-walk sneakers

Pepsi

Coke

…

Products / Brand name used by famous peoplemake the majority followingSuccess in advertising

The title: The Cult You’re In

meaning: Cult - worship

Pronoun: “you” – directly

the author want the readers directly mentioned in it create the immediate trends in advertising

Advertisement tell us what to think, what to dream.

DREAM

A significant point in the article

Dream: unique & imaginative

But, the same dream: wealth, power, fame, plenty of sex and exciting recreational opportunities.

Same dream: popular, mass do a same one

follow

the same

popular culture

Discussion

What does it mean when a whole culture dreams the same dream?

SalespeakRoy Fox

In the beginning: Pepsi Anderson and her experience in school was a little annoying and outrageous

Fox is being realistic, since he later says that Pepsi's world is already here

Ex:

sales companies target kids in their advertising

how school administrators in Michigan are considering auctioning off school names to the highest bidder.

Salespeak Roy Fox

Salespeak Roy Fox

Salespeak?

persuasive

type of entertainment or escapism

employs a systematic approach in targeting its audience

Type of message about transactions b/w people

"salespeak is more that a voice we hear and see: we also wear it, smell it, touch it, play with it."

Salespeak?

It is very persuasive because it uses facts, logic, and language to get consumers to buy into what is trying to be sold.

It entertains, arouses, plays with emotion, and uses sounds and music.

It works because Salespeakers collect and analyze information about a specific "targeted" audience and forms a message based on what that audience wants to hear

In the world today, nearly every facet of life is linked to sales or advertising

As young children: exposed to advertising and everything sounds like we should have the best shoes, or clothes, or whatever.

we grow up learning to listen to advertising so we know what is the best and what is not.

Short information about the product/service

Not focus on what we truly need, but on what we may desire

Little control in advertising in America

Approaches to Advertising

Elements in doing an advertisement

Where appear ?

Who can see it ?

How often appear ?

How messages constructed ?

How money budgeted ?

Advertising’s Fifteen Appeals

Jib Fowles

Advertising Appeal

The advertising appeal refers to the approach attract the attention of consumers and influence on their feelings.

Can also be viewed as “something that moves people, speaks to their wants or needs, and excites their interest.”

Emotional appeals

Emotional appeals relate to the customers’ psychological needs such as consumers’ emotion and feeling

Many’ motives for their purchase decisions are emotional

The need for

sex

Advertisers appeal to the

need for consumer’s

attraction, though it’s quite

easy for the ad to become

to blatant

Need for affiliation

As a part of human nature, we desire to be in good company and to have good relationships.

Need to nurture“to feed, to support, help, console, protect, comfort, nurse, heal.”

For take care of small defenseless creatures such as children and pets

Need for guidance

Every human has a need to be nurtured, protected, shielded, guided

The Need for Prominence

A portion of human nature is the desire for prestige and high social status.

The Need for Attention

A primitive human instinct is the desire to be looked at.

The Need for Autonomy

The need to be individual and independent.

The Need to Dominate

A human desires to be powerful, strong

The Need to Satisfy Curiosity

Humans are curious by nature.

The Need to Escape

When life becomes too much to handle, everybody wants for freedom.

The Need to Feel Safe

We like to see that our lives will remain in tact and that we can avert crisises successfully.

The Need for Aesthetic Sensations

Consumers have a much more acute sense for the aesthetic than they know

The Physiological Needs

Eating, sleeping, and drinking.

How Advertising Informs To Our BenefitJohn E. Calfee

A CASCADE OF INFORMATION

INCREASED INDEPENDENT INFORMATION

A PERVASIVE PHENOMENON

ADVERTISING AND CONTEXT

“LESS BAD” ADVERTISING

Gender in advertising

You’re soaking in it

Jennifer L.Pozner

Summary

New media is off limits increasing encroachment into every niche of mass media impact culture

women

Women as victims of advertisement

Diet industry Sex

Women’s rights

- Women are exploited in advertising industry- Advertisers only cares about how to make profit without paying attention to the image of women

Problem: “toxic cultural environment”

Solution: “media literate”

Does “media literate” help to reduce “toxic cultural environmet”? Why/why not?

The language use is not challenging

Have a clear argument and supporting ideas/examples

The structure of the article is quite confusing.

There is no conclusion.

Some questions in the interview part do not relate to the topic which is aimed at women only.

Depressing the reader at the end of the article – expect to read something else.

Beefcake and Cheesecake: Insight for advertisers

Marilyn Y.Jones, Andrea J.S.Stanalan and Betsy D.Gelb

Beefcake

Sexy male models

Cheesecake

Sexy female models

Attitudes of men and women towards Beefcake ads vs. Cheesecake ads

Sexiness

Physical attractiveness Nudity Rated sexiness/suggestiveness

Women react more negatively than men to sexiness.

Why?

Attention goes to the ad rather than the product

Viewers are attracted by eye-catching model favorable effect with the brand

Viewers can be annoyed by the a sexist portrayal unfavorable the ads the brand

Results

Women have less favorable attitude than men toward the cheesecake ads. However, women have higher recognition scores and recall than men for the cheesecake ads.

Men have less favorable attitude than women toward the beefcake ads. However, men have higher recognition scores and recall than women for the beefcake ads.

Conclusion

Men and women have different attitude, recogntion scores and recall for the beefcake and cheesecake ads different responses

Social context/cultural context

It takes into account the effects from both male and female models

Tested many factors such as attitudes, memoralbility, and recognition

Have responses from both men and women

Not be as applicable to society nowadays - Outdated information (most of the citations are from the past)

Not relate to popular culture

So lenghthy

The method should be criticized

300 participants are not a small number of subjects, yet it must be reconsidered if these 300 participants are appropriate.

Need more detail about how many women/men participated in the study.

Limited ability to generalize the information to the rest of the population

Lack of illustrations