A Fabricated Society

       Clothes weave intermingled tales of an individuals outlook on life, on the crowd one associates with, or an individuals views the world. However, behind these initial accusations, clothes are a mere representation of a company's brand. When one wears a brand, it makes a statement concerning their personality and beliefs. Thus, branding serves as the true medium between clothes and the message. Clothes are the tangible product, and the brand is the mental message derived from the artifact. Moving forward, clothes serve solely as a middle man between the subject and sender. 

             On a micro level, individuals can often be defined through the brand or style they choose to portray in society. For example, if one is wearing a Chanel suit, one would assume they are a classy, wealthy individual. On the other hand, if one sees an individual in a Nike track suit, they assume that person is an athlete. As O'Donnell and Lewis discuss, these judgments create individualistic stereotypes in society (hypothetical example: jocks wear sweat suits, fraternity brothers wear polos). In Croteau and Hoynes's discussion of rappers, they state all rappers wear baggy jeans, over sized t-shirts, and sneakers. Moreover, the sterotype of rappers is then formed through the classification of individuals. Thus, are the general societal opinions of individuals defined through mere pieces of fabric stitched together? 
          Moving forward, this notion escalates to a broader generalization of the entirety of the whole. On a macro level, clothes can shape a generation. When I think of the 70s, large bell bottom pants come to mind,  coupled with floral and psychedelic prints, finished off with obnoxious platform shoes. My frame of reference for the 1970s is defined through clothes, rather than political reform, historical events, or economic policy. Clothing serves as a medium to communicate styles or attitudes of an individual. Collectively, these individuals are categorized, and shaped by society. 

       Clothes purge the barriers of mere fabrics interwoven together. Rather, they serve as abstract mediums of communication between individuals of society. Clothing illuminate individuality, or stereotype an entire generation. They categorize our past, dictate our present, and propel our future. 

Ed Hardy 

Chanel

                                     
                                                        Louis Vuitton

Coach 

One Thousand Words

           Let us explore the usage of photographs as a significant medium in society. Through Facebook, magazines, newspapers, or blogs, photographs speak more than one thousand words in conveying an author’s perspective. On a micro level, photographs document one’s life. On a macro level, photographs provide a tangible cultural reference point for society. When one delves into history books, most of the strongest mediums we explore are through photographs. Words can only sketch a simple image, while photographs provide a colorful, vivid illustration for the reader. Through the image, it is easier to understand the circumstances and details of the authors message.
         Photographs serve as a vital force in society: they define the present, protect the past, and stimulate the future. One picture can define an individual’s life or a historical time period. For example, museum’s use this medium as a foundation for their organization. In the Museum of Modern Art, one can gaze through the pictures of artisans, fashion icons, or other historical topics. There are minimal captions at the bottom of the pictures because one usually focuses on the message the picture displays.  For example, one has probably been exposed to pictures than biographies of Marilyn Monroe. Her picture alone is the source of much discussion in the American Pop Culture realm. 

Through our class discussion of the telegraph, we came to the conclusion that before the invention, there was a significant lack of communication between pieces in society. This same principle can be applied to photographs: without photographs , there is a deficiency of communication between the past and the present. There is a severe lack of understanding because one does not have a visual reference point of the subject being discussed. Building upon McLuhan’s thoughts, media is not only an extension of man, but rather, is shaped meticulously through mediums. Photographs are the strongest type of medium because they convey a message without spoken language and immediately connect with a reader (as opposed to a reader reading words, then having an image formed in their head). In essence, a photograph creates its own language. A photograph can be understood by all cultures, and is mutually exclusive of nationality or native language. Viewing a picture is an experience: it evokes an emotional response which shapes our global society.

Martin Luther King 

Education in China 

Iraq War 

China Town 

Poverty in the 1960s

The Navy

Civil Rights Movement 

Architecture 

McKelvey's Media Model

Michelle McKelvey

Media Studies - Professor Li

September 10th, 2010

McKelvey’s Media Model

             Media can be defined by a multitude of phrases including: media concentration, media consumption, media institutions, media involvement, media production, or media saturation (O'Sullivan 290). Delving into the classification of the singular word, media is traditionally defined as “the various means of communication through which news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages are conveyed” (Oxford Dictionary). However, media may also be described as a process (refer to Exhibit 1). The process of media includes four steps: language, imagery, emotion, and change which are interrelated.
           Language, the first linguistic component of the media process involves vocabulary. The language of the medium consists of the tangible text of the medium, whether it is within a newspaper, online article or advertisement. It is also through the construct of this language, its prose, that the sender (author or company) of the media properly translates or encodes the message into words which are part of a language common to the reader (consumer). “However, the ‘meanings’ of all these media texts, like languages themselves, are social constructs that we ‘learn’ to read and make sense of according to particular social and cultural codes and conventions” (O'Sullivan 25). Through this language, the receiver (consumer) decodes the message. In order for this message to be properly decoded, the sender must make sure the diction serves the intended purpose.
           The imagery component arises from the visual interpretation of the language, while the emotional component becomes an attachment derived from the physical medium. This emotional connection is established through imagery. When reading a physical medium, an image is constructed in one’s mind. For example, if one is looking at a Lexus advertisement (refer to Exhibit 3), or reading an article about a Penn State football player (refer to Exhibit 2), a picture is painted in one’s head. Once that image is formed, an emotional reaction is experienced. “Even though we often use the ‘realness of the images as a basis for evaluating whether we like or dislike particular representations, all representations ‘re-present’ the social world” (Croteau 196). For example, we see a Lexus advertisement (refer to Exhibit 3), and we see the words “Economic Climate.” A picture forms in our mind of a car trudging through the snow or a car driving through a tornado. That emotional reaction acts as a catalyst for the fourth component in the media process: change.
          The change component requires an action and reaction to the aforementioned entities. Through media, change can be divided into intellectual change, behavioral change, or cultural change. “…computer networks, word processors, and digital technologies have all in the recent years been developed and marketed…they have contributed to an important series of changes in many households and domestic environments” (O'Sullivan 225). Cultural messages may shape how consumers view other countries, their behavior towards other cultures, or alter their thoughts about a certain ethnicity. For example, Americans primarily knew about the details of the Iraq War through watching prime media outlets (CNN, MSNBC, Wall Street Journal, etc.). Censorship was actively practiced during this time. Journalists were silenced (refer to Exhibit 4), which provided a skewed perception of the war and shaped our cultural perceptions of the “War on Terror”. Media is not a physical object: it is an agent of change which is constantly shaping society.
          Media goes beyond its traditional view as a physical medium. It is a powerful process that dramatically impacts societies, perceptions, and behaviors. It blurs society’s notions of reality and perception. While the process stays the same, its outcomes are continuously changing.

Bibliography

Croteau, David. Media Society. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, 2003. 196. Print.
        "Oxford Dictionary." Oxford Free Press , n.d. Web. 10 Sep 2010. .

O'Sullivan, Tim. Studying the Media. 3rd. London: Hodder Arnold, 1994. 25-
        225. Print.