CatFish Analysis

Lance Dodd

Media Lit-Com155-133

Spring 2011

Catfish Analysis

            Catfish is a very interesting movie. At its core the movie shows the power of current democratized media. Using platforms like Facebook a person can adopt whatever persona a person wants. In the movie Catfish, Angela Faccio is able to take on the role of her younger daughter Megan Faccio. She is even able to produce paintings and claim that it is the work of her young daughter Abbey. The movie also forecasts the dangers of the amorphous and anonymous nature of the online world. When people can be anybody, how can you trust who is who? Nev established a relationship with an entire family without ever knowing who they really are; he developed deep feeling for a woman he has never met.

            In a way Nev represents a majority of us. When we go to sites like Facebook, we have a tendency to take things at face value. When we are interacting with people either online or in real life, unless they are acting suspicious we do not over analyze what a person says. What happened to Nev is an example as to what Andrew Keene thought was wrong with Web 2.0. Andrew Keene believed that the onset of Web 2.0 severely impaired factual integrity. The intermediaries that made sure information was true do not exist. People are able to say things and they are presented as fact. Angela was able to present herself as anyone without anyone being able to dispute it. Only through Nev’s Facebook detective work was he able to find out the truth.  

            However, I do not believe that democratized media should be done away with. On the contrary despite the events in the movie, I believe that it is to everyone’s benefit that people have a voice. That they can craft whatever identity they want in order to get their message across. Sometimes anonymity is a good thing, as it allows you to state your case without fear of reprisal. However, people like Angela can abuse the system, even if it was not malicious. Putting Andrew Keene’s fear aside, I believe there can be a middle ground.  People can craft their own identity, but everyone should be careful and aware that people may not be who they say they are.

Exit though the Gift Shop

Lance D odd
Media Lit
Spring 2011
Exit through the Gift Shop

Exit through the Gift Shop is a documentary made by the world renowned street artist Banksy. The movie starts off with Thierry Guetta, mutton chopped Frenchman who is living in Los Angeles, who obsessively films everything he does. He believes that all moments are important and should be saved for prosperity. As Thierry films everything around him, he begins to follow a street artist by the name of Invader. As Thierry follows Invader, he is eventually introduced to the artist Shepard Fairy, who is best known for his Obey art as well as for images of our current president. Eventually, Thierry begins filming the emerging world of street art. Thierry begins to film multiple street artists. As Thierry progresses though the street art world, he eventually meets Banksy. Banksy approves of the documentary that Thierry is creating, and wants him to put it together. However, the source tapes to Thierry’s film are lost amongst the scattered and unlabeled tapes of his life. When Thierry finally presents his documentary to Banksy, it is an incoherent mess. Banksy takes the camera and tells Thierry to become an artist. Soon Thierry himself becomes the new subject of the documentary as the audience sees the creation of Mr. Brain Wash, the street name Thierry calls himself.
The film becomes quite fascinating as we see the progression of the film and Mr. Brainwash. After witnessing one of Banksy’s art galleries in London, Thierry tries to follow suit. He creates an image of himself and posts himself all over Los Angeles and gaining some notoriety, he begins work on his art exhibit. However, Thierry instead of creating his own work, but instead outsources much of the work to other artists. In fact during the art show the other artists even have to place Thierry’s work on the wall because he is too distracted. As the gallery draws closer, Mr. Brainwash (Thierry) becomes arrogant and full of himself. Despite the success of the art gallery, the movie shows audiences how quickly art can be commercialized, and reduced to dollars and cents. Thierry does not practice to become an artist, but instead works off the ideas of others. He follows a sort of pattern in to becoming a famous street artist. The viewers are left wondering how meaningful street art, or any art truly is, and how we define how much that art is worth. The movie proves that anti-establishment art can become part of the establishment.
Does the fact that the work is illegal change the meaning of the work? Does it weaken or empower it?
I believe the fact that the work is illegal does impact the work, and in fact empowers it. People have a certain attraction to anti-establishment/subversive work. We are fascinated by the mindset of the artist and excited by the prospect of seeing something new. Overall, the illegality of street art creates a mystery that people want to know more about.

Live Tracing

Original Picture

Traced Image

Vector Logo

Logo

Andrew Keene Responses

Andrew Keene defines democratized media as content that is both created by the masses and consumed by them as well. Keene has several problems with democratized media and Web 2.O in general. Keene believes that the democratization of the media ultimately undermines truth, sours the civic discourse, and belittles the expertise and talent of individuals. What Keene refers to as the Web 2.0 revolution is in his opinion delivering superficial observations of the world around us, instead of the critical analysis we may have been used to in the past.
Also, Keene goes on to say that user generated content is decimating our “cultural gatekeepers” as the expertise of professional critics, journalists, and editors are being replaced by amateur bloggers. Basically Keene is exposing the idea that there is so much unfiltered information circulating on the internet that the purveyors of actual verified information (professionals) are getting lost in the shuffle. According to Keene the Web 2.0 revolution is a maelstrom of useless information involving less reliable news and less culture. In what Keene talks about as a flattened editor- free world, independent bloggers, podcasters, etc… can post their amateur creations at will with no form of fact checking. In the end, Keene advocates that democratized media is diluting our culture, we as a society cannot tell the good content from the bad.

Answer to Question 2.
The difference between Andrew Keene and David Rushkoff’s view of social media is that Keene believes that social media is not really a good thing. Keen believes that social media in the unfiltered state that Web 2.0 allows it to be is useless information. Social media is unverified and thus untrustworthy. Keene thinks that because of the anonymity that the internet provides anybody from corporations, to biased political commentators can create a post and call it news. However, David Rushkoff on the other hand is more cautiously optimistic about social media, but he believes that ultimately social media is good if used responsibly. I think I lean more towards Rushkoff’s view on things. Keene outright distrusts social media, but Rushkoff sees the potential.


Here is an article about amateurs written by Ruskoff

Comments

I posted on Matt's, Vicky's, and Becky's blogs.

Folksonomy

Com155-133 Spring 2011

Folksonomy

             

            With the advancement of technology a person has a whole cornucopia of information in which to access, people have the ability to go online and go to various news sites like the Huffington Post, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, etc. With the advent of portable devices like the I-touch or smart phones, which can surf the web, people can be updated constantly about what is going on in their world. In fact with many people turning to the internet for information, traditional print news outlets like the New York Time or the Washington Post had to create an online component in order to compete. One would be hard pressed to find a newspaper in print that did not have a website; even the Poughkeepsie Journal keeps its readers up to date with a website. However, this flow of information is not a one-way street as the availability of the technology around them allows them to report the news and reach millions of people.

Most phones nowadays are equipped with a video camera that allows a person to record anything they like; some of the more advanced phones can capture video that is near or is actually high definition.  When an event happens of great significance or of random happenstance, news outlets like CNN often use amateur video, captured on cell phone video recorders, in order for their wider viewing audience to see what has transpired; with almost every cell phone equipped with a camera news organizations have virtually thousands of potential camera men and women out there to capture all sorts of events. On the tragic day of September 11^th, 2001 when the World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists news organizations used video footage captured by ordinary people in conjunction with footage by their own camera people in order to for people to see the totality of the situation, but the average citizens who were there at ground zero were instrumental in capturing the first few minutes.  However, the influence of average people being involved in the news cycle need not only be regulated to the extreme of 9/11, but can even be felt to a somewhat lesser extent.  Whenever, there is a hotly anticipated movie in the process of filming, sometimes the firs pictures you get on set are not ones sent by the official movie studios, but of people taking a picture with their cell phone.

The widespread use of popular internet resources like You Tube or Blog Spot has given rise to the amateur journalist. Websites such as You Tube has become a vehicle in which people can voice their opinions on any number of topics such as the politics of the day. Some “internet journalist” has gotten so popular that they can even rival some traditional news outlets; one such example is the Yong Turks. The Young Turks is a liberal internet talk show that is showcased either through live steaming or You Tube; the show claims to be the first internet television radio show ever and the largest online news show in the world. The Young Turks received a lot of attention for the ninety nine hour on air filibuster done during the Samuel Alito nomination. Also, there are the bloggers who post their opinions on their blog; these bloggers gain a certain level of trust with their readers (social currency) which in some cases allow them to garner relationships with their viewers that rival those of traditional news outlets like CNN.  For instance blogger who has an opinion on the current protests going on in Wisconsin could have as much credibility as Wolf Blitzer at CNN.  Although, the ability to contribute or even report the news gives people freedom not seen just a few century or so ago there is a downside. When a person wants to become a traditional reporter they go through the traditional routes such as going to school and taking the necessary programs, which in the long run makes sure people adhere to the same standards. However, the amateur blogger blows that out of the water. They did not receive the same education that a professional would have at an accredited institution.   Douglas Rushkoff, in his article “Rise of the Amateur,” he stated, “the rise of amateur activity online has given many people an exaggerated sense of their own competencies—and a diminished sense of yours…As is often the case with new technology, people have mistaken their access to your tools for the competency to use them” (MPI). In the past there used to be select group of individuals who reported the news, but now with the rise of online tools there are now many sources and not all of them bother to do any form of fact checking, but potentially carry the same influence as accredited sources.

In the end, having many amateur sources of information in which to choose from is not necessarily bad, but I do believe that  given all that is out there on line a person has to be very careful which source they should trust.  

Discussion Questions

Today many TV shows and advertisements try to look amateurish or "homegrown" to emulate what is often seen on the Web. Do you think professional production values will continue to drop, or do you think amateur user-generated content will get better over time? WHY??

We live in the “You Tube” generation; that is to say that we are in the middle of an era in which an average person can make a video and have it seen by thousands of people. Advertisers in order to sell their ware wish to relate to the public as much as possible, so it is logical to assume that they would try to craft their advertisements to the media quality they are used to on You Tube or other such sites. However, I believe that in the end it is the idea of the advertisements or even television shows that govern things like production values. If the core concept for television spot calls for high production values than the creators will attempt to cater to that idea as much as possible, on the other hand if the idea calls for an amateurish feel to it like videos that could be found on You Tube than creators will cater to that to. However, some videos on You Tube although were not made by huge media companies but by a small team of people or even on person can have great production values if the concept calls for it. The idea governs the concept. 

Videos:

In this video CBS correspondents discuss the best and worst ads of  Super Bowl 2011. They talk about how the idea governs the content.

This video was not made by a special effects studio, but one person. The creator had an interesting idea that required good special affects. This so called amateurish video could rival some high production television shows.

What social media sites do you find yourself using the most, and why? In your opinion why is Facebook so much more successful than MySpace, and do you think Facebook is "here to stay" for the long term.

The social media site that I use the most is Face Book. Face Book has become my main social media site is because most of my friends use Face book; it has become the main platform in which I can communicate with my friends. I believe that Face Book has become more popular than sites like MySpace is because Face book offers more options than MySpace. In Face Book people are better able to craft their desired online identity. Face Book is easier to navigate with its cleaner layout, and it features games such as "Farmville." In the end Face Book is more versatile than MySpace. 

Why is transparency such an important concept in the Social Media world? Is it MORE or LESS important in the offline world? Why?

Transparency is such an important concept in the social media world because when people follow a particular blogger or a You Tuber there is a certain amount of trust that is involved in the   relationship. If for instance a blogger was reviewing a certain product such as a video game than fans of the blogger would expect the blogger to be as honest as possible; if the blogger was flown to Florida all expenses paid in order to see the game early, than the blogger is expected to reveal that fact. Followers of certain game reviewers expect as much honesty as possible. Some game reviewers understand the dynamics of the social capital they have built up with their fans so much that reviewers on sites like Bitmob deliberately do not take all expenses paid trips to California or other places to preview games earlier because it might hurt their credibility; despite the fact that not previewing the game might hurt the site as not many people might visit it.

In the offline world I believe that transparency is just as important, if not more so than it is in the online world. As citizens of a free and democratic nation we want our government to be as transparent as possible. People like to know what goes on behind the scenes when our leaders make decisions that affect all of our lives. The need for transparency also goes for our news source. People depend on places like CNN, MSNBC, or even Fox to be honest an as open as possible on how they gather the news.

Medium is the Messsage Photoshop Project Final

The product is Apple's Ipod, which is  a line of portable media players that was launched by Apple on October 23, 2001. Although Apple was not the first company to bring a media player to market; the ipod's stylish design, functionality, and Apple's marketing campaign has made the ipod the number one choice for media players on the go.
This collage of sorts is designed to show the global appeal of the ipod. In some ways the ipod is no longer just a mere device, but a cultural phenomena; it is sold in almost every industrialized nation in the world. The pictures within the collage are meant to showcase the larger than life aspects of the ipod itself. The content of the ipod can range from audio to video. The message is that the ipod has become apart of out lives in addition to allowing us to have access to hours of music and video. The ipod has become more of a style than just another device.

Medium is the Message Photoshop project

The product is Apple's Ipod, which is  a line of portable media players that was launched by Apple on October 23, 2001. Although Apple was not the first company to bring a media player to market; the ipod's stylish design, functionality, and Apple's marketing campaign has made the ipod the number one choice for media players on the go.
This collage of sorts is designed to show the global appeal of the ipod. In some ways the ipod is no longer just a mere device, but a cultural phenomena; it is sold in almost every industrialized nation in the world. The pictures within the collage are meant to showcase the larger than life aspects of the ipod itself. The content of the ipod can range from audio to video. The message is that the ipod has become apart of out lives in addition to allowing us to have access to hours of music and video. The ipod has become more of a style than just another device.

Three Mediums

This is a logo for Skype, a type of software that allows people to make calls over the internet. One of its more popular features is to allow video conferencing. Is content can be multiple things, as previously mentioned video, but also audio, and text.
The message could be that through this new software application the world has gotten smaller; that people half way around the world now have the means to communicate face to face half way around the world.

 This is a logo for Xbox Live an online multiplayer and digital distribution service created and operated by the Microsoft Corporation.The service allows for gamers on the same Xbox 360 gaming platform to share audio files, text, and if they have special attachments like a camera even video.

The message could be that through Xbox Live the gaming community have a platform in which to send messages and even chat while gaming, so in a way it has brought players together. Through Xbox Live people no longer have to be in the same room in order to play the same game cooperatively. However, some people believe that Xbox Live and others technologies like it hurt traditional social interaction people no longer feel the need to have face to face interaction.

 

This is a picture Apple's ipod touch, an multimedia player. Although, there have been mp3 players before the ipod, Apple's new device brought mp3 players to the mainstream. The device allows for people to hold music and video. The content could be audio and video, as well as text.

The message could be that through the ipod touch people can hold thousands of their favorite songs every where they go.

 

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