Thursday, November 19, 2009

Feeling Our Way Through the Media Torrent

In Media Unlimited, Todd Gitlin writes, "Media are occasions for experiences -- experiences that are themselves the main products, the main transactions, the main 'effects' of media. This is the big story; the rest is details." What do you think he means by this? And how is it related to the ideas of Georg Simmel discussed later in the book? Please respond by the start of class Monday, Nov. 23.

16 comments:

Chris said...

Todd Gitlin’s quote refers to media outlets that the media as the event or the attraction rather than the news stories in which they are covering. The news becomes secondary to the glitz and glamour of the hosts and music that should be the background. The main effects center on feelings, entertainment and sensation rather than knowledge and education. The “details” in which Gitlin mentions is the actual news, you watch for the entertainment and the little information that you receive about the war in Iraq, the healthcare bill or the economy. The little knowledge is simply an extra that you get when you watch the program filled with lively music, attractive hosts and tons of commercials (some more blatant than others).


Gerog Simmel adds to Gitlin’s theory with the statement, “The more money becomes the sole interest, the moreon discovers that honor and conviction, talent and virtue, beauty and salvation of the soul, are exchanged against money.” The quote by Gitlin and Simmel correlate because the media has made the music, anchors and commercials the centerpiece of the news because of the influence of money. As shown in previous readings and Good Night, and Good Luck the media industry has forgone education and knowledge for the sake of entertainment because entertainment brings viewers. And viewers bring advertisers and advertisers bring money. News corporations are obsessed with money to the point where they will sacrifice the news in order to broadcast nonsense. The news should be the corporation’s responsibility to society, but now their responsibility is to bring as much money to the shareholders are possible. The ones who suffer the most is society because they are the ones who are left uninformed and uneducated. Democracy also suffers because without an informed public, democracy can’t function so the news corporations who ignore the news for the sake of money are hindering society ability to move forward.

Tiffany said...

Along the lines of what Chris said, the excitement of the media is its "main attraction" and "main product." The media plays on our desires to be entertained, and bombards us with images of perfection-lives we want to live, people we want to look like, cars we want to drive, etc. Gitlin writes that the people we watch on t.v. "have identities and invite our emotions", and that "Often we find them desirable, or enviable, or in some other way they evoke the sentiments, the liking, irritation, or boredom, that flesh-and-blood individuals evoke" (p. 21). One of the reasons people surround themselves with media is because it allows them to escape their own less-exciting lives. Driven by monetary gain and status symbols such as fancy cars and clothes, we watch, admire and strive to emulate our favorite media persons.

Georg Simmel anticipated such a world where people, driven by money, would succumb to a life of mind-numbing work and thus hunger for excitement and stimulation. Gitlin wrote, "So emerges the individual, a role player who is also a part-time adventurer and stimulus seeker, trying frenetically to find himself by abandoning himself. This paradoxical individual is primed for unlimited media" (p. 39). Media of all kinds allow an individual to escape into someone else's exciting (albeit often unreal) life rather than live his or her own.

Samantha said...

I think when Gitlin says that media are experiences he is saying that the media is based on entertainment. We are constantly surrounded by the media and it grabs our attention by keeping us entertained. Everything on television is vibrant, loud and has a soundtrack, it's like a child's toy. It is meant to hold our attention and make sure we don't look away. Television stations don't care if you get anything out of their programs, just that you watch them.

This relates to Simmel's outlook on the blase culture. The blase culture is not easily entertained or riled up. The blase person "experiences all things as being of an equally dull and grey hue, as not worth getting excited about" (39). This person is in the perfect situation to be over taken by media. Media, with its vivid and exaggerated stimuli is just what the blase person needs to escape his indifference. The blase seeking stimuli has a "craving for excitement, for extreme impressions, for the greatest speed in its change" (39).

Both see media as entertainment instead of information. Gitlin even refers to some media as infotainment. Even when it tries to relay information, it has to do so in a way that will keep viewers engaged, other wise they'll put on something more exciting.

James said...

The Gitlin quote means that the users of media are seeking an experience, and because the media are all profit-driven endeavors (owned by "purposeful animals" as Simmel writes) experiencing media is a commodity on which people will spend their money because of the ever-increasing cynicism of common people leads them to want something new and more exciting. The common people are made more cynical because the media are constantly out-doing what has been done before.

As a result, people seek out the most stimulating experiences they can find, which is almost always a manufactured experience. People then become more and more distant from each other, choosing to experience the instant pleasures offered by the media rather than the complex and often frustrating experience of dealing with other people.

These cynical, lonely people then find themselves wanting much more than the simple needs of life. They need to be stimulated as much as possible, which means the media must operate more and more. People experience more and more media, become more and more cynical and alone. The constantly running media require a huge societal apparatus to operate. This connects back to Ted Kaczynski's ideas summarized in the Klosterman reading. The society by this point has become a horribly mutated version of what it once was. People no longer think original thoughts, but instead cultivate their own experience with the media of their choosing to create their identity like, as Simmel writes, fashion has historically been used. People connect over media they have commonly experienced, yet express their individuality by choosing to shun other media. It's a continuing cycle.

nicoLe said...

In the introduction of the text, Gitlin makes it clear that the media is not a single entity and that is comprised of numerous beings. Often, he notes, it is regarded as one, but this is false. There are many aspects to the media. Although they may all reach is in similar all-encompassing ways, differences to exist. Therefore, it is important for us to question each aspect and not simply take one impression as the basis for all.
Gitlin then goes on to say that "media are occasions for experiences." I believe this coincides with his message that media is everywhere and it surrounds us at all times. As I mentioned before, it is important to interpret all aspects. This notion also goes along with Simmel's belief that we constantly need to be entertained and are never satisfied with what we have.
Simmel describes us as very complicated and advanced created. He portrays us as greedy and needy. This is true as a result of the many ways we are bombarded with messages. With updated technology, we are constantly being informed and persuaded to buy something or think a certain way. It would be surprising if we didn't always want more.

Ericka J. Rodriguez said...

The buzz that the media creates throughout society is the effect and the fact that we give in to this buzz is when we enter our own experience. We have all become apart of that "effect" of the media. Facebook is a perfect example. The other day in class I mentioned how I began to question myself as to why is it that we post so many albums on facebook and why do we elaborate on our thoughts to put as our next status. The media has become an escape to reality. We become warped into this other world where we feel like we can express ourselves through the media. The media has trained us to believe that whatever society is buzzing about is what needs to be followed weather it be through celebrities, technology, or through advertisements.This all goes back to money being the rude of all evil, which is what Georg Simmel reiterates.

We are too blinded by the "advantages" that this new media has that we do not see that in the midst of it all we have lost ourselves in exchange for money, as Georg says. Those who are growing up in this generation are at a loss because they will not have a chance to know themselves, instead they will be warped into this world being left uninformed.

Marcy said...

Both Gitlin and Simmel speak of media as Stimuli, which it is. Gitlin says that not only are we bombarded with media, even when we don't want to be, but that at times when it's not present we seek it out as a necessity. I found it interesting that as I read that passage alone in my room, with no electronics on whatsoever, I could still here the t.v. from across the hall and someone upstairs playing their radio.We think of media as more then entertainment but as an experience. We use it as escapism; to feed our own emotions or even create emotion if we didn't like the way we were feeling before "the experience".

Simmel had similar views. He speaks of "the blase person", who "experiences all things as being of an equally dull and grey hue, as not worth getting excited about" (39).They need the media to stimulate them and the more they become stimulated, the bigger and more exciting of an experience they need the next time to have that original feeling. I would say this happens the most with movies goers and news producers. Weird.

These theories then infiltrate everything from the way we think and imagine, to the way we conduct our social lives.

Unknown said...

I think that Gitlin is saying that the media controls our lives in every way that it possibly can. We are at a point in society where people do not have first hand experiences anymore. Everything from “talking” online to even having interviews on Second life is taking over tangible and important activities that help make us social beings. He also goes on to write about how invasive the media is, even when we do not know it. It is something that we cannot get away from, because no matter where you go, whether it be a restaurant or even some restrooms-it is waiting for you to look up at it. Whether we consciously are aware, we are being stimulated and force-fed this stuff almost every waking hour of the day.

This relates to Simmel because he believes that people feel dull or are bored and constantly need to be stimulated by the media. Many of us are programmed to believe that media and technology is what will make our break us as a society. We were taught that advancement and progress is what shapes us as individuals. But, how can we become independent and progressive people, if the media is actually hindering our creativity?

Kelsey said...

I believe what Gitlin means by this quote is that the media does not cover stories but rather they are the stories. In today's news, most people look to celebrities to perform it. News, in return, is put under a shadow and the entertainment value becomes more important than the actual news itself. The public eats up this celebrity factor in the news and casts aside the message that is behind the words.

Simmel believes that money is the main thing controlling how the media works. These two theories relate to each other because most people now would rather hear someone famous or well-known to report the news than someone who actually qualified. Murrow had to pay with his own money to broadcast the 1952 See It Now segment on McCarthy. People with money would not support his message which in turn was saying that people who fueled the news stations could control what the news really was. It was not the fact that Murrow was a brilliant journalist, but rather that he could pay what advertisers would not in order to relay the message to the public.

Mamacat said...

I believe, as well as agreeing with most of what was already stated by my fellow classmates, that Gitlin is making a statement on the cause and effects of news and news reporting. Media gives rise to events, the main products, the news. There are news channels on, broadcasting twenty four hours a day. The facts aren't just whats reported. They then talk about how this event is being effected in the media, and talk, and talk, and talk it to death. This becomes the story, the sensationalism of it all. And the more sensational, the more viewers, and the more money.

Melissa Vitale said...

Gitlin’s quote refers to the importance of entertainment rather than the actual news. “Most of these stories reach us through images that reside with us—though they do so in a peculiar sense we should not be too quick to think we understand.” (pg.22) It seems that it is more important to people to be entertained rather than informed. Instead of giving actual facts on events, the news glamorizes events. It has become this new world, where the concern lies more on being entertained. I agree with Chris and Tiffany when they said, “the excitement of the media is its “main attraction” and “main product.” News continues to become less important, while sensationalizing stories has been the main focus of many people reporting the news.
Georg Simmel predicted a world that would be obsessed with glamour and money. People are no longer concerned with emotions and connections that can be made between two people. The American Society has become a place to cheat and lie in order to get a head. Regardless of who or what your affecting in the process. The objective has become, how much money can I make? “People treat other people, as well as things, in a utilitarian fashion, and money is “the most extreme example of means becoming an end.”” (37) As long as people are entertained and making money, this tedious cycle will only continue.

Brandon said...

I agree with rachel in her assessment that Gitlin is refering to the cause and effect nature often caused by the media. Alot of times, the media themselves are the story in today's society. Often times, the fact that so much media can focus on such a small story that it becomes a spectacle, a show, entertainment, is the story. Look at court cases for famous celebrities or a small town person who becomes a big hero. Often, the story is the massive throngs of news media that crowd around their house waiting for a quick sound byte or glimpse of the person, and not the person themselves. Another example would be "media day" at any of the major sporting events. There is a specific day where hundreds upon hundreds of journalists come to ask the same questions to everyone on a team. Then every article written that day is less about the game and more about what an experiance it was to make it to media day.

George Selby said...

I think that Gitlin is trying to say that the Media is only important based on the way it makes us, the audience, feel. I think he is telling us that how and why the media makes us feel certain emotions is unimportant. He means, that a comedy show’s entire purpose is fulfilled if it makes you laugh, and a drama fulfills it’s purpose if it makes you worried or sad. Precisely how these shows do this isn’t important at all. With a torrent of experiences like these, we have sort of liquidated their values. The emotions that we get from the media are lowered in potency and importance. Gitlin quotes Toqueville: “What is generally sought in the productions of the mind is easy pleasure and information without labor.” This is exactly what the media gives us, but this forces us to “substitute the representation of motion and sensation for that of sentiment and thought.” (43)
Simmel writes about people becoming cold, and forming their life entirely and completely around money. He writes about city people who have been overwhelmed by their life, and havn’t left any time for reflection. They have become “’overpowered and disoriented’ by the immense spectacle of commodities” (45) What I believe Gitlin means to connect, is that living with the torrent of media that we live with, we have become disoriented on a level that would probably shock Simmel. Our emotions are wholesale, and like money, they distract us from and confuse what is actually going on.

pierce said...

I think what he is saying is that everything is in presentation. IT doesn't matter what is being covered, only that Anderson Cooper or Glen Beck is covering it. It's weird that people have favorite news anchors. We shouldn't be concerned with who reports the news but we are.

Simel believes that we hunger for entertainment, that we thrive on it. This is a perfect example. Look at the kinds of things that pass as news today. Some of it is completely ridiculous but put a flashy animation and some sound effect on it and suddenly "Angelina Jolie walked down the street" sounds as important as 10 killled in Iraq today." With the internet etc. we have everything we could want all the time, but media outlets have to make it seem like they have more. They are very effective it seems.

Miss Rivers said...

Gitlin is saying that peoples lives revolve around the media and the experiences they offer. Because the current generation is so hooked on media and its products (i.e. various iPhone and Blackberry apps, watching television shows on the computer and handheld phones), it's hard to imagine life without it or remember before it. One of the lines I remember Murrow stating in Good Night and Good Luck was,

"If an instrument is to amuse or entertain, then the instrument is lost."

The television, the internet, online publications started out as instruments with good intentions, to allowed people to stay up to date on current information at an accelerated pace. Just like money is invested into these products, money is likewise invested in the media. Bridging off of Samantha's remark, the culture has changed its views and desires and allowed themselves to get whatever they can get out of media products as long as they are entertained and stimulated.

For example, as I was reading an online newspaper article about a young teen getting attacked, on the side were the top seven most popular stories other people were reading and more than half of those stories were pertaining to Michael Jackson. Various examples of hard news stories being linked with celebrity news immediately distracts the audience from reading the more important story because entertainment stories are the big stories.

The bigger the story, the more important it is. The more people click on an important, the more money is generated to the company.
This thought proves true to Simmel's theory about money and blase culture. While people are craving to stimulate their need for entertainment through the media, companies profit from that same craving and create new ideas and concepts to please the people instead of informing them.

Maria said...

It's late but I am going to add my two cents(pun intended). Giltin and Simmel are essentially saying the same thing: we, society as a whole, are watching ourselves being swallowed by the big bad media monster and are not even kicking and screaming for help. Instead, we're enjoying the ride. I can't go to the second floor of the library without being attacked by the sound of someone's phone going off or their ipod on (because they study better with background noise, distraction if you will) or maybe try to print my work on the one (if any) computer that if left while everyone else is on Facebook. It's not just school, it's everywhere. As Giltin describes, "distraction is one of those terms-like freedom, responsibility, and alienation-that requires an object to make sense" (32). Unfortunately people feel the need for distractions to make their world operate on a meaningful basis. This is why there are those blase sorts of people that leave themselves susceptible to the media whirlwind. Sometimes people are distracting themselves from their less exciting lives, but most of the time people are distracting themselves because that's what they know, what they grew up on or what they have grown to know works. They have no ability to turn it off, to become un-distracted, to focus. Yea true for some it is all about being entertained, but when you take a break from your work, a commercial break from your mind so to say, even to read something meaningful you are plugging into that built in distraction button that calls for a more stimulated experience here and now. Simmel argues that modern man has a more vast catagory of needs. The kinds of "needs" that media fulfills are mindless self indulgences that make us feel better about an experience in a quick moment. There seems to be a lack of truth with the self.