Media Log 2

PrejudiceStation Portable

(3) The media I have decided to cover is a billboard which features two female models: a black woman clad in black garment, and a Caucasian woman clad in white garment. The latter is depicted to be dominantly clutching the jaw of the former while bearing a threatening position. The text “PlayStation Portable White is Coming” is written adjacent to the image.

(1) The billboard advertisement was commissioned by Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation Sony to promote their PlayStation Portable White. (2) The advertisement targets video gamers, simply due to the fact that it is an ad for Sony’s handheld gaming console, the PlayStation Portable (White).

 (4) The underlying message that I was able to derive from the advertisement is that the company is implying that the shade of white is superior to that of black. This can be seen by the dominant stature that the white-clad woman has over the black-clad woman. The black woman appears to be in a submissive-like state.

(5) The lifestyle that the advertisement promotes is one inclined to a more technological based source of entertainment such as the PlayStation Portable. It also promotes a preferential bias towards white over black due to the nature of the advertisment.

(6) The advertisement makes use of the fallacy of ‘Misleading Analogy or Faulty Comparison’ due to Sony’s utilization of these models to represent their products, when in fact they aren’t truly comparable. Sony also utilizes the authority presented in the rhetorical appeal of ‘Ethos’ by implying subliminal messaging to the viewers that white is superior to black in the form of a display of dominance as seen in the ad.

(7) The prevailing message is a negative one, the message presented through the advertisement encourages people to purchase the new PlayStation Portable White, but it was executed in a way that implies white’s superiority over black.(8) This advertisement empowers and gives premium to white people and/or people who favor the color white. With that being said, it also disempowers black people along with those who prefer black.

(9) Despite the multiple racial accusations, Sony has been addressing these issues with justifications claiming that the image, along with 100 or so other photos were designed and curated with the sole purpose of showing contrast between the two PlayStation Portables. Among these photos, one photo portrays the same two models with the exception that the roles have been reversed. In this photo, the black woman is depicted to be standing atop the white woman in what seems to be a show of victorious dominance. These photos can all be accessed through the internet and the Sony website.

(10) As both a video gamer and a PlayStation fan myself, I was initially disheartened when I came across the billboard advertisement on the internet. It appeared to be an advertisement for something that I myself own, a PlayStation Portable. As I glanced at the ad, it bore a racist feel to it. As a media literate citizen, this pushed me to do further research regarding the controversial ad. As stated in the previous paragraph, I discovered that the photo in the billboard advertisement was but one out of a hundred of commissioned by Sony to depict the stark comparison between their two products. One of these photos included the same models, but with reversed roles of dominance over the other. Seeing this helped me understand the issue in a deeper perspective, making me realize that the photo had no prime intent on being racist, but it becomes racist when the viewer themselves view it as racist.

http://money.cnn.com/blogs/browser/uploaded_images/sony-724850.jpg

Media Log 1

Call Me Superficial, Maybe?

            (1) A viral music video for “Call Me Maybe” which featured a myriad of muscular male models was commissioned by American apparel retail giant Abercrombie & Fitch, also known as A&F. The brand is known for its employment of “brand representatives”, now called “models” which mainly consists of muscular Caucasian males.

            (3) The video begins with the hit lead single “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen playing in the background as the camera pans to an Abercrombie & Fitch flagship store. As the video progresses, the camera switches focus to a topless A&F model who is dancing and lip syncing to the hit tune. He is soon accompanied by a number of fellow topless muscular A&F models and continues to dance and lip sync to the song.

           

(2) I believe that the prevailing target audience of the video are females due to the utilization of multiple topless male models. (4) The video also possess an underlying message that convinces its viewers to purchase A&F clothing due to the patronage and endorsement of these “hot” male models. (6) As stated in the aforementioned, A&F utilized a sum of male models to endorse their products embodying the “tools of persuasion”: testimonials, and band wagon. (5) The lifestyle promoted here would be a workout oriented lifestyle, which is evident in the music video due to all of the models being physically fit.(7) With that being said, a negative message that the video harbours, whether intended or not, is that if you do not fit the standard of desired physical fitness, you are deemed unattractive. On a positive note, the video promotes and urges viewers to maintain a healthy physical lifestyle by being fit.

           

(8) The video empowers those who maintain good physical condition, while disempowering those who do not. This serves as a marketing strategy incorporated by A&F to attract female customers and male customers who are or wish to be physically fit.

(9) There have been a number of controversies surrounding the employment requirements of A&F’s models. Some of these have even taken legal action against the retail giant accusing them of racial and sexual discrimination against African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and women by preferentially offering floor sales positions and store management positions to Caucasian males. The company has also been accused of not only racial discrimination, but religious and disability discrimination as well due to aesthetic reasons such as religious garment and prosthetic limbs breaching their “Look Policy”. Most of these cases could be found on news articles and electronic articles on the internet.

           

(10) As a growing media literate consumer, viewing the video with a more open and analytical view allowed me to delve deeper than the surface or mere face value of the video. The video appeared to simply be a playful parody but with further insight, I was able to notice both the product placement marketing strategies and the implied preferred image of masculine looks.

The Hottest @ Abercombie & Fitch Guys,

Call Me Maybe

Carly Rae Jepsen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5NRWM3FgqA

Week 1

I should get up.

The words continued to press against my thoughts. As I lay on the bed, I struggled to get on my two feet, almost as if I was but a ship anchored to the deep waters of slumber, caressed by the waves of my quilt, and gently kissed by the morning dew.

Had I the will to resist, perhaps the currents of Morpheus wouldn't have pulled me back, tempting me with sweet dreams and the promise of distraction. Within moments, sleep had taken over me. Minutes were turning into eternity, as if the clock had fallen from the tower. All at once, lighting struck inside my head with a subconscious urgency to unravel the very anchor binding the ship. And just like this ship, I too must set sail for the long journey ahead.

I could feel it. The rush of a new life, the excitement, the terror -- ah, there it was! If I had only the ability to reach out and grasp it, it would pulsate against my palm like a heart. It had been present as I pushed empty drawers back into place, as I slipped carefully folded clothing into my bags, and even as I sped through the highway. Like a phantom, it loomed over me. 

But as strange and new as everything seemed, the sensation barely lasted. As soon as I had moved in, I had quickly adjusted to the idea of it all: living alone in a new place, learning my way around the urban jungle, meeting new people and simply adapting to college life.

My name is Pablo Joao Adriano Crisologo, but almost everyone calls me Joao – or at least attempts to pronounce it right. I spent the last thirteen years studying at De La Salle Santiago Zobel, and now I’m a student of De La Salle University.