MEDIA AND MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION

TEXTS TEXTS (THE CONCLUSION)(THE CONCLUSION)

Dr Stephen Harrington

Cast your minds back to February 26…

So, what is this unit all about?

The official version:

“This unit introduces you to foundational ideas in the study of communication. It covers key questions of textual analysis, practice, and context. Drawing extensively on examples of popular communication practice from contemporary society, the subject aims to impart an understanding of communication ecologies, processes, systems, and modes within the wider frame of radical changes occurring to the way texts are produced, read and circulated within our culture.”

So, what is this unit all about?

The simple version:

Understanding communication theory

Apply communication theory

Analyse developments in communication practice

So, what is this unit all about?

The super simple version:

Communication in theory

Communication in practice

Communication in context

Communication in theory

Communication in theory:

Meaning is not ‘fixed’.

“[R]eaders with different social experiences or from different cultures may find different meanings in the same text…” (Fiske, 1990: 3)

‘Meaning’: Is culturally-specific Often changes over time (unstable) Highly contextual

Communication in theory:

Which means that… the study of communication is inseparably tied to the study of culture.

Semiotics Aims to understand the cultural production and

exchange of meanings.

Communication in theory: Context Signifier/Signified Icons/Indexes/Conventional Signs Denotation/Connotation Framing Genre

Textual Analysis Looking for a “Likely Interpretation” of a text.

Communication in practice

Communication in practice: A brand’s ‘meaning’:

Is culturally-specific Often changes over time (unstable) Highly contextual

Advertising as a means of giving a brand meaning/identity/status/image

Used your knowledge of communication theory to affix (positive) meaning to a fictional product

Communication in context

Communication in context:

Advertising:

Apple ‘1984’

Old Spice ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ and responses

Old Milwaukee beer

Communication in context:

1984 Clear distinctions between advertiser and consumer Message reaches ‘everyone’

Old Spice Distinctions breaking down Dialogical relationship, advertiser still with most 'control'

Old Milwaukee ‘Distance’ in the value chain between advertiser and consumer

eliminated; roles are interchangeable Mass conversation: message is developed and communicated by

anyone keen enough, but can be resistant to integration (e.g. Shell's 'Let's Go').

Communication in context:

1984 Consumers as listeners

Old Spice Consumers as participants

Old Milwaukee Consumers as “co-creators”

Communication in context:

Shift from Monological to ‘Polylogical’ communication

OR

Mass communication, to mass conversation (Spurgeon, 2008).

This represents a significant change to the ways that media texts are produced, distributed and understood.

Assignment 3

Theorist Television Web 2.0

Harrington Monological Polylogical

Spurgeon 'Mass Communication' 'Mass Conversation'

Bruns Producer/User ‘Produsage’

Gauntlett “Sit back and be told”(Media like ‘Gods’)

“Making and doing”(Media sharing)

Illic (in Gauntlett) Industrial tools Convivial tools

Lessig (Mix)? Remix

Final assignment

Assignment 3:

Talk about the shifting nature of communication (changes to how texts are produced, distributed and understood) through the lens of your chosen websites. Not website content.

E.g. Meme Generator

Potential implications for: Regulation/’control’ of this (highly chaotic) environment Copyright Economics Creativity Authorship Ethics (e.g. ethics in digital/social media) Branding/Advertising

“There’s all kinds of digital media which don’t enable people to really make their mark on the world, to stamp their own meanings and ideas…” – David Gauntlett (2010)E.g. Louis Vuitton, The Global Mail

Assignment 3:

Due next Friday!

Length 1800 - 2200 words

Assignment 3:

Due next Friday!

Length 1500 - 2200 words

Because we want quality

Assignment 3:

Any questions?

And, finally…

Thanks for a wonderful semester.

Go write your assignments!