Best video games of 2016

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/04/simon-parkin-best-video-games-2016-witcher-watch-dogs-2-dishonored-2-the-last-guardian

The best video games of 2016 have been released here!

"Fiction may be unable to compete with reality when it comes to whiplash-inflicting narrative twists, but it can provide a sanctuary into which the embattled and anxious may retreat. Video games in particular provide a comforting framework for the human mind."

Documentary and Bias

A truly gripping 10 part documentary series about US man, Steven Avery from Manitowoc County, who was wrongly convicted of a rape and was jailed for 18 years before DNA evidence proved him to be innocent.  The documentary then takes a turn when Steven is accused of sexually assaulting and killing Theresa Hollbach; the state, who were involved int he first case, are on the trial and prosecute him.  The documentary is carefully crafted and the audience has no where to be positioned but on the side of Steven, his family, and his nephew Brendan Dassey.  We do not see much from the defending side, even the evidence that is presented seems made up, too obvious, or misconstrued.  The editing is effective and really makes the audience side with Avery; we feel everything he feels and can do nothing but helplessly sympathise.  The clever use of editing and cliffhangers (or break bumpers) between episodes means that you go nowhere, but continue watching!

13th, Representation and black identity

A Netflix original documentary, 13th, is absolutely fascinating and is a must watch for anyone studying Representation or Identities in the media - particularly of black people.  It accuses the US state of essentially 'turning' slaves into criminals so that they could be re-locked up, undertaking menial tasks and essentially being subordinate to the bourgeoisie/ruling class.  The documentary explores how presidents including Nixon, Regan and Clinton essentially making up figures, creating moral panics, devising stupid initiatives (Just say no to drugs campaign) that essentially framed criminals.  The amount of prison inmates from ethnic backgrounds drastically increases over time, to the extent where the US state are able to make money out of them as their prison system is privatised.

The 13th amendment states: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."  This is obviously ironic and the state essentially turns slaves into criminals to force them to become slaves, just with a different name, again.

FAKE NEWS!

Fake News seems to be something that is dominating newsfeeds on social media; it is sooooo easy to concoct a story, lie and post it on the internet.  Due to the lack of regulation of the internet, not only journalists, but Joe Public can post anything.  One journalist said classed these stories to be fake news, and not lies - but is there a difference?  Journalists are governed by IPSO (used to be PCC) which states that they cannot just make up news - this would be dematory, libelous and slanderous.  Since the phone hacking scandal, many victims now take out high court injunctions to escape being victims of sometimes, their own actions.  However, has this move now meant that journalists and users of social media alike are able to post anything they like?

A good read:  Facebook, fake news and the meaning of truth:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38106131

Guerrilla Advertising - the lengths institutions go to to get noticed!

http://justsomething.co/street-advertising/

Guerrilla Advertising just screams creativity - the link above just shows the lengths advertisers get to to get their brands noticed.  The way in which audiences interact with these scenarios, displays, exhibitions, whatever you want to call them, is vital and pivotal for them to remember the concept in the hope to buy and part with their cash!

Class, race, wealth: Britain is a nation blighted by divisions

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/29/britain-blighted-by-divisions-theresa-may-integration-casey-report

For those of you studying Identities in the Media for Mest 4, AQA, may like to choose an identity such as British identity, class or even racial identities in Britain.

This article proves to be an interesting starting point, particularly looking at the impact of Theresa May's new government/cabinet and whether social integration is taking place; especially after a report showed this week that it was down to schools to monitor immigration when May was the Home Secretary.

Tech Tent - great new BBC podcast!

Have an interest in technological development and change?  Want to know how things will look int he future?

Subscribe to the BBC podcast here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04dctsn

What if gender roles were reversed in advertising....?

https://www.good.is/articles/intermission-what-if-gender-roles-in-advertising-were-reversed

I stumbled across this on Facebook as one of these 'You might be interested in....' suggestions - I usually skip over them, but this caught my eye.  It definitely puts a refreshing spin on what if gender roles in advertising were reversed, but also makes you realise the extent of objectification in the media that already exists.  Get applying your male gaze theory to these examples!

There's also a follow up video called Hunkvertising which is equally interesting!

www.adweek.com/news/.../hunkvertising-objectification-men-advertising-152925

Film noir.... or modern noir?

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/28/after-the-maltese-falcon-how-film-noir-took-flight

This is a great article to read on the popularity of the noir genre - especially as so many Year 12s have picked the noir coursework film brief!  Something to get into your coursework research or evaluations!

And who said Media Studies wasn't an exciting subject....!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/37896253/media-student-confuses-the-internet-with-his-john-lewis-inspired-christmas-advert

This is a clear example that Media Studies students do posses amazing skills such as creativity, animation, independent learning skills etc etc etc - what a great piece of coursework!

Film director gets the recognition he deserves!

Steve McQueen has recently been honoured by the BFI, and rightly so.  The film industry has always largely been run by white middle class and middle aged men - these sorts of directors are breaking the mould and as a result, better quality, more controversial, exciting and experimental films are being made.

Well done to y Kelly Reichardt and Julia Ducournau too who won awards respectively for their films; again people breaking the mould (women this time!).

#BFIismulticultural  #oscarssonotwhitenextyear!

What the media doesn't tell you......

It may be because I live the other side of 'The Pond', but I thought that there were only 2 presidential candidates for the US vote; the repulsive, inexperienced, inappropriate Trump, and then Hilary Clinton; apparently not!

There are other candidates in the running, but they don't seem to get any of our air time - I wonder how much they actually get int he US?

You can see a full list of the candidates here:  http://www.politics1.com/p2016.htm

It just goes to show how much the media does;t show us; think about what else they're hiding from us....

Stop calling disabled people inspirational!

Guardian video on stop calling disabled people inspirational startled me - but Dr Frances Ryan has got a good point!  Have representations of disabled people now gone the other way and are too positive, especially since the increased reporting and acceptance of the paralympic games.

Distortion of British values?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2016/oct/05/akala-the-propaganda-of-british-values-is-a-distortion-of-history-video

An interesting video from rapper Akala; are our British values based on propaganda and hegemonic views impressed upon us from history and politics?

More positive representations of body image - the new H & M advert

The new H&M advert - Autumn 2016 - really caught my eye.  It's quite a big move for a large and mainstream clothing firm, however it's positivity about body image and the representation of women is great.  This advert has it all - hairy armpits, a bald woman, a female bodybuilder and a lesbian kiss. It's refreshing to be given more feminist and postmodern representations of women, especially ones that sometimes we are afraid to talk about; take the woman on the train with her legs apart; the ladette behaviour in the restaurant; the woman at the part in a suit who looks masculine.

In your face Male Gaze!

Paralympics Photoshopping - moral?

The Brazilian Vogue editor thought it was acceptable to publish an article about the Paralympics, but used able bodied people and photo edited disabilities on to them -



Is this a clumsy mistake?  Is the majority able bodied audience need their expectations of body image confirmed because of this?

A bad judgement call for sure....  but it got publicised, which is the sad thing!

Audience positioning on a new and relevant level

Audience positioning is always an area that students struggle to comprehend; it's not sitting on the sofa in front of the TV!  It takes into consideration who we side with in a narrative, balance, bias, what we are(n't) shown and so on.  

The video below takes this to a new level and literally positions the viewer as a refugee using their phone to escape atrocities and striving for something better.  The use of a point of view position allows full engagement; the verisimilitude of the device, messages, whatsapp etc doesn't allow your focus to deviate and is very clever. 

The video is best viewed on a mobile or hand held device.  

Meet the Superhumans - Yes I Can!

With the Olympics and Paralympic Games in Rio just around the corner, Channel 4 have done themselves proud once again in relation to the representation of disability in the media.

Whether you're looking at institution and ethos, identities or representation, this trailer is a must see for media studies students. 

There has been some controversy around the trailer with some saying it's too glamorous, or others saying it misrepresents people with a disability as they are made out to be special humans with magical powers; The superhumans.  The fact that this particular social group is being represented in the media is a step int he right direction and lessens the stigmas attached.

The Objectification and Scrutiny of women has hit a new level

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/13/jennifer-aniston-fed-up-women-essay

Jennifer Aniston, star of Friends and an A-lister celeb, will always face scrutiny due to her position - however, I must admit that the press has hit a new low - do we care if she is pregnant or has just eaten too much?  The Guardian newspaper released a video which certainly raises some interesting points which can be accessed on the link above.

If you're studying representation of gender, the female identity, or the idea of celebrity, this is a must to write about contextually!

Pokemon Go! A good idea?

The concept of a new Pokemon Game will certainly hail both new and old audiences and the concept of the new geo tagging game seems a great idea and feat of new technology.  However, the safety aspects and issues it flags up, particularly for more passive and let's say, stupid audiences, is quite shocking.

The discovery of a dead body, the potential risks audiences face in terms of their safety - getting run over, phone jackings...... is this game a good thing?  Put it this way - nintendo are laughing all the way to the bank since their shares have gone up 50% since the release of the game.  That's until, something goes wrong...

I Pickachu-oose not to play this game personally!

Is Video Game Violence Dead?

Some might say that Video Game Violence is a thing of the past - or is it?  Perhaps it is just something that is still happening, the media just choose not to tell us much about it any more - hegemony at work!  The documentary below is about the story of Breck Bednar, an innocent teen gamer who became friends with someone online that ended in tragedy; it's still relevant, the risk is still there and this is certainly still an issue and debate in the media.

What actually is the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war?

If you don't know about it, then you need to!

The Chilcot Report is an independent inquiry looking into whether or not it was right to go to war in Iraq for the second time in 2003 and what lessons can be learnt from this event.

The video below shows a short, condensed and easy to understand timeline of events to help you.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36707153

Brexit - is it the end?

I don't need to tell you about what's been going on in the news over the last week, but I can tell you this; this is definitely an interesting time for all of us!

No-one really knows what the future holds, but avid media studies students, you need to keep your eyes and ears peeled for updates, how the news is being reported, what this means for not only your country but also imports/exports ad how this could affect the media industry.

There are many stories related to Brexit that link to the wider contexts:  Cultural (How will this change ex-pats'/immigrants' attitudes?), Historical (The Union was something that happened after the 2nd World War to aid peace time Europe and trade); Economical (How will the pound survive; how will this affect stocks, shares and business?); Political (Who will succeed David Cameron?   What will happen to Corbyn?  What will happen to societal attitudes?) and Sociological (How will society react to the outcome?  Will it stick together and work better than before, or be segregated?).

This is also an interesting case study that will develop over time if you are looking at Representation (MS1 WJEC) or for identities (MEST 3/4, AQA).

I think it is safe to say, watch this space!

Right Wing Ideologies, Extremism and Facism

The Media has certainly shown Right Wing ideologies and Extremism in a very narrow way since 9/11 particularly only really depicting Muslim Extremism.

However,  it occurred to me that the tragic and horrific death of MP Jo Cox last week, was in fact a result of British Right Wing Extremism.  Although no officially affiliated to the Right Wing group Britain First (due to his comments), it was clear that Thomas Mair, the man being charged for her murder is a victim of Right Wing Extremism; one area that the Media, and perhaps the government and police, overlook.

It struck me that the hegemonic view of the Media only shows Right Wing ideologies, Extremism or Fascism coming from people who aren't white and British; this in turn shows the two-step flow, with Media Institutions acting as opinion leaders and passive audiences taking on board their narrow minded messages and values.

There's certainly a growth of white Right Wing ideologies with the growth in popularity of parties such as Britain First, the EDL, and perhaps not quite on the same extremist scale, UKIP.

It will certainly be interesting to see the outcome of the Referendum at the end of the month..... as well as the outcome of the Presidential elections in November as these are ideologies that Trump is embodying also....!

Could VR bring back games arcades?

If you're of a certain age, you will remember that every social activity you attended, the cinema, bowling, Quasar and the like, then there would be a games arcade.  The flashing lights, the noises, the big screens and gaming chairs - things that made computer games more exciting than your Sega Mega Drive at home.  But due to the increase of digital literacy amongst audiences and the decrease in prices of consoles, games arcades didn't offer us anything that we couldn't get at home.

The increase in VR technology has certainly meant that games arcades could be making a comeback! This is obviously a USP in the market, and one that is too expensive for Joe Bloggs to afford.  New and Digital Media is certainly still evolving and still having an impact on the way audiences consume gaming.

Read the article below for more particulars!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-36560030

Identities and representations in the Media - using BBC3

Everybody has an opinion about the move of BBC3 online, however you cannot fault its controversial and thought provoking documentaries.

The 2 documentaries below are just 2 examples of insightful and eye opening programming by the BBC.  If you are studying representation of race/ethnicity for MS1, WJEC or identities for MEST 3, AQA, then these are a must to watch.

Be warned, there are some shocking scenes and scenes which you may find distressing, nevertheless they are very informative and give many fruitful examples to write about.

United States of Hate: Muslims Under Attack

Black Power: America's Armed Resistance

How does this link to theory, issues and debates?

• Post-colonialism
• Institutional racism
• Stuart Hall's ethnicity model
• Alvarado's ethnicity model
• Racial equality
• Islamophobia
• Post 9/11 hero representations 
• Hegemonic representations
• Marxism 

Is social media making you sad?

An interesting article on the BBC3 website - http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/65c9fe044b3d461ba3ab10d0d5f6d9b5intc_type=singletheme&intc_location=threeonline&intc_campaign=threeonline&intc_linkname=article_socialmedia_contentcard13

There's been much debate whether or not the increased usage of social media has had an impact on the mental health of audiences; is this really a version of the hypodermic needle model coming to fruition on a large scale?

Catriona White's article makes a good read!

Top Gear in reverse?

It was always going to be hard to live up to the antics of Jeremy Clarkson, Captain Slow - James May, and Richard 'the Hamster' Hammond, but has Top Gear lost control?

Poor Chris Evans; now that he is the face of the new Top Gear, he has really taken the brunt of all of the negative comments.  It has been reported that the programme has lost a third of its audience - but why?  Yes there are loyal fans, yes the scriptwriters haven't changed from the previous formula - perhaps the BBC need to realise that Chris Evans just attracts a much different audience to Jeremy Clarkson?

In terms of John Fiske's Fandom theory, we aren't necessarily dealing with die hard fans in either case, but Clarkson with his witty and controversial comments and sometimes senseless motor mouth attracts a very different audience to the more tame and family friendly Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans.
Stuart Heritage's article for The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jun/07/top-gear-in-defence-of-chris-evans

SIMS video game removes gender barriers!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36441867/life-simulation-video-game-the-sims-removes-gender-barriers-in-virtual-world


Sims probably isn't as popular as it was in it's early 00's hey-day, but it's certainly got a USP that has got it noticed in the saturated video game market.  Due to wider contextual developments such as the gay marriage and societys' adaptability where transgendered people are concerned, it's a no-brainer that these, what once were 'issues', are now being reflected in popular culture.  Sims is allowing 'genderless' characters and developers have given audiences the power to fully customise their virtual-selves.

This is certainly a postmodern response to societal attitudes and changes; what once was the simulacrum in Jean Baudrillard's hyper-reality, is now becoming an actuality.

It will certainly be interesting to see how other platforms and mediums respond and adapt to this change!

How easy is it for something to go viral? The laughing woman in a Chewbacca mask.

Studying AQA MEST 3 The Impact of New and Digital Media?  Studying the impact of technology or globalisation for WJEC MS4?  Or OCR Critical Perspectives in Media - Digital Technology?  Then you should be writing about the example!

Convergence; in a time where you can view and access everything on one device, it's a no brainer how easy it is for things to go viral, especially novelty videos.  Synergy; Twitter links to Facebook, which links to Youtube, which can be shared through WhatsApp, which can then be Snapchatted....  with so many different thumbnail icons to click on with ease, again, it really is just the click of a button that can make an image or video spread like wildfire.

Candace Payne; a 37-year old mother from Texas who was overjoyed at buying one of the most novel items from the Star Wise merchandise collection.  You probably didn't even know her name, but simply know her as 'Chewbacca Mask Woman'.  With over 140 million views, (that broke Facebook), being invited on The Late Late Show and star with James Corden and JJ Abrahams in a version of Karaoke Car Pool, and being invited to Facebook HQ to meek the Zuckerman himself, it just goes to show that if you can pull off a stunt like this, planned or not, us mere peasants do have the chance to be famous!

In an age where new and digital media is taking over our lives, with business relying on technology, using iPads in the classroom, or 4 years olds picking up an iPhone and knowing how to unlock it and play a game, it's no surprise that due to our digital literacy, and in Marshall McLuhan's terms, we want to be a part of a 'Global Village' where we can share videos, images, memes... making them go viral.

Lesbian couple to feature in Finding Dory?!

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/28/new-finding-dory-trailer-hopes-lesbian-couple-disney-pixar

We all love a Disney film; the originals like Dumbo, the more up to date Pixar films like Toy Story, or just good ol' favourites such as Beauty and the Beast.  Disney have been accused of many things since making these children's favourites; institutional racism, hidden sexual meanings amongst others.  Speculation suggests that the new Finding Dory film features a lesbian couple, which, in wider contextual terms, clearly shows that the institution is responding to cultural and sociological change, especially with the legalisation of gay marriage in many countries.  Is Disney responding to Market Imperialism?  Has the audience made it clear that they want to see fairer representations of what are considered to be niche social groups in the media - is this Disney's response to it?  If this is true, this is certainly an interesting case study to write about!

This could also like in with Orange Is The New Black which has also broken boundaries in terms of a homosexual presence in the media, and more importantly one of which that has been deemed acceptable.  You could also link these examples with Queer theory too.

Chinese 'Whitewash' laundry advert

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-36401366

For those of you studying A Level, this advert, albeit awful, is a great example for you to talk about representation.  Whether you are studying WJEC, MS1 or MS4, or AQA MEST 3 (identities), this advert is a clear example of Cultural Imperialism; this sort of message is obviously acceptable back in China.  As for Western countries where we have had a hegemonic shift in terms of our messages and values that probably aren't so right wing any more (unless of course your name is Trump!), this is unacceptable due to post-colonialsm and because of what we now know as multiculturalism and diversity.
This is a relevant example for you to use to illustrate your knowledge and understanding of issues and debates; you can certainly reference Stuart Hall's and Alvarado's ethnicity models when using this example.