MC Tutorial 4

a) How is the idea of "choice" a value that is built into consumer-capitalist society?
- "Choice" gives us consumers an option to decide whether or not the decision/issue/answer is needed or not.
-"Choice" enables us things we deemed necessary or deemed useless to have.
-The whole idea of being able to have the power and freedom to choose with the various option available right in front of us in our purchasing power.There are now many competition of different brand that we can choose from of the same exact product. But there are factor that we will consider before buying and purchasing the product. These factors are discounted price available the additional gift given with the product and also the prices of the similar product. The internal factor would be the function of the product on how we will use the product. 

b) What does it mean in terms of hegemony?
-Leadership
-An indirect form of government of imperial dominance in which the leader rules geopolitically subordinate states by the implied means of power.
-The term of hegemony mean dominant or leadership. The high social class might be able to relate to this very well where they can use the power of money and anything else to influence the aspect of social environment and politically. But overusing that power in the wrong way might turn into a bad end as it will lead to corruption which will lead a chaos to the society.

c) Why is it important for hegemony that we don't question its legitimacy? Why don't we?
- Its rules and regulations are fixed and there is nothing to counter/fight back.
-Its controlled by the law at the highest order and its power of legitimacy is strong and steady.
- In order to stay out of trouble, be a part of the legitimacy.
- Be in full control towards the hegemony, will take part within its power.
-The hegemony law are permanent. There is nothing much a medium class or low class society can do to contribute to the change in the situation.Since they are unable to influence the government mind in certain thing issue due to their lack of voice and power in the house. Hence they choose to stay out of trouble and let the issue dissolve by it time.

d) What is "the paradox of choice"?
- Eliminating consumer choices can greatly reduce anxiety for shoppers.
-Choices we made to get the things we desire might backfire our emotions and feelings towards the choices.
-Paradox of choice mean the irony of thinking that the more freedom of us to have the choice to choose thing the easier our life will be. But that is not the case of paradox of choice, as it is actually the more choices that are given to us the more difficult our life will become. This is because now we are give the opportunity to be given the chance to try out other all the available option rather than the limited option that is given to us. The freedom of choices has given as more consideration to think about in the consequences of what we have chosen.

MCS Tutorials 3

a) Examine class representations from American television's beginnings to today's sitcoms, reality shows, police dramas, and daytime talk shows.

Answers:
 - Gender, Race, Status, Age Groups and etc play a role in these genre of shows, even from 80's-90's till the present times.
- Examples of these class representations can be seen through:
Gender: Women are marginalized group, men are more dominant during the past times. Despite women achieving ranks and big titles in the 21st century, men are still the dominating gender and its still a men's world. Take example of the movie "The Proposal", the main character (Sandra) keeps masculinity within her work lifestyle and characteristics. However, she is just a Chief Editor and its still under her male superiorities (CEO and President)
Race: Disney Princess Movies cartoons are all white skinned princesses (Ex: Snow White/Sleeping Beauty) until the arrival of a black skinned princess from The Princess and The Frog.

b)What is the American Dream and how has it been portrayed on television? Who has it excluded and why?

Answers:
- American Dream is known as freedom, wealth, democracy, freewill and wishes.
-The American Dream is being portrayed on television as a "one-in-a-million" dream and only the main characters who are unfortunate will obtain it through luck and hardwork.
- It has excluded a few characters which has less screen time and does not bring much contribution towards the series.

c) How do media representations of class reflect the larger social system and social inequality?

Answers:
- Media representations shows different reflections towards the social system in a larger way by the way they communicate, the way they act and etc.
- Examples: In the comedy series "Big Bang Theory", we can see the culture and lifestyle of geeks and comic addicts exist in real life.
- As for social inequality, examples like "Hotel Rwanda", we can see the Tutsi people have been killed and tortured by the Hutu people which resulted in the massacre.

d) How is the working class portrayed when it has been represented?

Answers:
- Working class is portrayed as the middle-income, busy and family type characteristics. They lead a normal life and has drama issues with their boss/family/spouse/daily activities.
- Working class are seen in public areas, having lunch or coffee at the regular coffeehouse, enjoy the comfort of home after work and etc.

e) What are the struggles faced in trying to get a show about working class people on TV?

Answers:
- Leisure time
- Very busy work way
- Time management
-Co Worker: Relation Problem
- Level of positions/titles/ranks are usually for men.
- No alternative to passive consumers.

f) How are race and gender intertwined with class on TV?

Answers:
- 2 ways which makes media audience active...
-Interpretive freedom: Audiences may not construct the meaning intended by producer (eg: different culutre relate differently), Not all audience members construct the same meaning from the same media texts.
- Collective interpretation: Media use not just individual but also social, Membership in social category also matters.
- Race: African: Poor, bad person
Indians: Poor, Robbery/snatch-Theives
Chinese: Rich, business men
Malay: Middle-class, majority
-Gender: Male( Heroes, saviours, dominant), Female: Victims, weaker/controlled
-Race: Black(Poor: Cant afford stuffs, being looked down, gangsters), White(Rich: Owns everything, branded)
-Culture: Western (Open Minded, Sexy wearings), Eastern (Traditional culture)

MCS Tutorial 2 (Answer any 3 questions) (4/10/12)

2) What is media concentration and conglomeration? How are they similar or different to each other?
Media Concentration:- Concentration of media ownership, also known as media consolidation
- Individuals/Organizations control increasing shares of mass media.

Media Conglomeration: -Company owning large number of companies in various mass media.

Similarities: 1)Run by the owners
2) Revenue/Profit rises, Money making
3)Companies "swallow" each other to grow
4) Caused by economy downsized

6) What are the economic forces that helped to make television "newsmagazines" "games shows" and "reality" programming such a prominent part of the network prime-time schedule?
-Technology
-Political
-Social Culture
-Environmental
-Educational
-Economical
-Demographical

Ethics: Target age groups, sex, and etc
Technology: Game shows(3D animations, Editing, Photoshop)

8) What role are advertisements likely to play in the evolving world of cyberspace? What role do advertisements play on the Internet today?

-Enable revenue from the internet
-Get in the trend of the current technology
-Attract internet users to promote their product/service/etc..

MCS Tutorial 1

Discussion Question:

1. Explain how the influence of mass media extend beyond what we know to include how we relate to the social world. 

Ans:The awareness of the technological era had made people in the society think that everything that we need to know is provided through technology. Media is a form medium that allow us to receive and give information to the society. The media is seen as a tool to mirror ourselves in our own life. People then are connected by it and start assuming on that is how they have lived their life. Since the media is portraying the emotion that the society felt on a particular incident. Whatever really happen in the media is the reflection of how we lived our life and socialize but is not entirely true as well. The media could sometimes stretch the matter to such a big and important topic to be focused into. Where all this is just a pure made up stories created by the media member since they are trying to control what the society think and do.

2. Fill in the elements of the "media and social world" model below and briefly explain how they relate to each other (refer to slide on blank version of Media Model)
 
Ans: Media and the social world” are two different medium with two different purposes. Media are mediums which includes television, radio or even newspaper which is basically providing information, news and etc. Social world involves social networking such as Facebook and Twitter where people from all over the world are connected via the social tool whereas people from the media are connected emotionally but may not necessary means physically.


3. How does the presence of media affect your life ? How would it be different without the mass media. 

Ans: The media had affect my life in many different way it has shaped my perception on certain issue that I have never come across before not knowing whether the media is actually telling the truth. The media have shaped on how I see the society and also in a way influence my decision of living my life as. Most of us followed the pattern and life that is presented by the media. We dressed and talk like the people that have been reported by the media. We are shaped by the movie and songs that we felt very much attached to. Sometimes it get too connected until we lost our own identity. Life will be very dull without mass media. News will spread even much slower for others to received them. The world will then be progressing at a proper pace like it should be. This will result in a lot of unknown discovery to occur.

4.Overall, do you think the growing presence of mass media in our lives is a positive or negative development. Why? 

Ans: I believed that even though media have contribute so much to the society. I still feel that media has given a negative development to the society because people will ended up depending too much on the media. Forgetting about what they really capable of rather than believing in every single information that come into the mind. Society has been polluted with this habit and is now being controlled by them in what to think and do about the situation. There will be no sense of authenticity anymore. Life will be pretty much predicted as everyone will be give the same information and demanded to think the same way.This goes against the law of nature.

5. How do you think the presence of television change family life? Do you think the spread of the internet will have the similar effect. Why? Why not? 

Ans: Television in a way have created a bond in a family since family member will most likely stay together to watch the television together. But I do not think internet have done the same thing to television because internet has made people to be connected but not physically which is a bad form of interaction if this keep on going. People will lose their touch in facing the real physical person and this will create a disaster in the society. Internet also allow family to get connected from a very far places but the effect will not be as strong as television since they are not physically around.

6. What do you think is the most significant media development in your lifetime. Why?

Ans: I think the most significant media development is advertisement. There might be many saying that advertisement have been a waste of money to produce and do not get the result as much as expected. But we have to realize that everything that we remember about a product or anything is actually coming from the random tons of advertisement that we unconsciously saw everytime we walk around the street or anywhere in the world. Advertisement will always be around to stay with us.

Le me...

Interest - ESP (Eat, Sleep, Play)....Avid gamer, food addict, sports fan/player, music lover, movie goer and ACG/Japan Otaku!!

Dreams- Make a world a better place...

Aspirations- To be an Iconic role model/example through contributions, education, awareness and most importantly having F~UN

Family Condition: Best family any boy/girl would have...If I only learned how to cherish them more...

3 experiences making the most:
 -Got a B grade for Chinese language paper(most dreadful paper of them all) during middle school exams
-Cosplaying, events and volunteering
- Hanging out with friends and family during rare occasions(Gatherings, Open Houses)

Ten most important given Circumstances -
1) Height
2) Knowledge
3) Be influential
4) Travelling.
5) Singing
6) Acting
7) Enjoy the company of music...Eastern music rocks my soul
8) Do the best, beat myself...
 9) Collect more of my "waifu"
10) Always an adventurer of challenges, events, goals, achievements and if with God's Will...Victory