Media Literacy Section 001 Fall 2011

Last blog prompt

2011-12-11T03:00:06Z

My huge interest and what I would call myself a fan of would be Twilight. This topic is something that I at first was not into. I thought it was stupid and too teeny bopper (as my mom would say). My boyfriends sister finally persuaded me to give it a try. Within two weeks I had all four of the books read. I bought tickets for the midnight showing of the 3rd edition Eclipse. With all of this, I still would not call myself a twihard or feel as if I am a diehard twilight fan. I go shopping and see girls in Edward, Bella, and Jacob t-shirts. I have not decided whether I am team Edward or team Jacob. I think those aspects are what bring out the true and through and through fans. I would consider myself a bandwagon twilight fan who jumped on after everyone else said it was books and movies worth my time.

last blog post

2011-12-10T21:42:42Z

i think a great example of convergence is in the halo video games they are a series of teen rated sifi first person shooter games. the games had great success when they where first released and continued to have a strong flowing thought out the next three games. after the second game came out halo 2 they also began to releas books and a comical cartoon called red vs. blue that was a play on how the vs. multiplayer and on line game play was a red teem ageist a blue. the corporations used converging media to create an even larger fan basis by making books and also making cartoons and other parifanila to bring awareness to other fans that may not have originally played the game but in the end because of ether liking the books or cartoon would eventually play. giving the fans the best interactive experience posible. i think they had great success in geting a large and very loyal fan goop and are continuing to further the franchise by making more games and more products for people.

Last Blog

2011-12-10T21:23:50Z

To me the ultimate convergence culture comes from the wide world of sports. I myself am largely consumed by this culture. You cannot sit in a classroom full of students and not have at least one of them wearing something to do with some sports' team. I personally wear sports-related clothing I would guess around eighty percent of the time (yes i am aware that is sad). The culture has only expanded over time. It used to be represented by simple things such as collecting of baseball cards and such but the market and the fan base has grown at an exponential rate overtime and only seems to be continuing. Now you can purchase pictures, posters, bed quilts, pillow cases, trash cans, chairs, and all sorts of different household items to represent your favorite teams. You see it on the news every now and then where someones entire house will have only things that represent a specific team that they love. The market has cashed in on this trend as most stores contain some type of sports clothing or memorabilia that pertains to some part of their costumer base. Sports fan cover all of the different bases of fans as well. While, there are the casual fans, which in this day and age are becoming the minority as so many people are becoming consumed with the world of sports and turning into the loyal fans. The people who do not miss a game their team plays and live and die with the result. They post on chat rooms, read multiple blogs, and consistently watch ESPN, a channel designed to air anything and everything that pertains to sports. Sports in general is a prime example of convergence culture, and with its ever-growing popularity, I only expect to grow with time.

Last Blog Post

2011-12-10T19:49:27Z

I think a great example of convergence culture is the show, Tru Blood. Tru Blood is a popular HBO show that is based on a series of books by Charlaine Harris. I myself started out as a fan of the books and then started watching the series, which I like as well. Basically, it is about vampires and humans coexisting. There are other supernatural things featured as well. Tru Blood is not for kids and is rated MA for mature audiences. It has a lot of nudity, sex scenes and other very graphic content. Despite the MA rating, Tru Blood has a huge fan base.
These Trubies, as they are called, are very loyal. I think a great example of corporate convergence strategies are the ways in which Tru Blood is marketed. I believe when they initially aired the show, they already had an established loyal fan base to start from due to the popularity of the books. I think they capitalized on this by offering merchandise and Interactive media for the fans who were excited to get involved with the series in ways you couldn't with the books. For example, they have a Facebook page that offers ways for the fan to interact with the show and each other. They have caption contests as well as a Halloween contest where you send in pictures of yourself or your friends dressing up as Tru Blood characters. Tru Blood is also on Twitter and keeps fans updated about things that are happening or will be happening on the show. There is also a large variety of merchandise available. You can buy T-shirts to the Tru Blood that the vampires drink on the show. There are also blogs available that feature Tru Blood characters blogging while they are in character. I think this creates more of a connection with the characters of the show and I think by building these Interactive social communities, they are creating more of an emotional connection with the show. I think by having access to these different forms of media, the show is creating and maintaining inspirational consumers. Consumers that are so loyal to the brand that they actually drink something that looks like and is supposed to be, blood. These are ways for the consumer to continue the show outside of the hour a week when they get a new episode and expanding the show through social media. These loyal consumers are the ones creating a new community and culture for the show. I think by having a fan base that is so loyal to the show, the merchandise and the characters, the show will be around for a long time.

Last Prompt Response

2011-12-10T19:34:29Z

I think my enormous interest in sports,particularly soccer, is what I would like to discuss.I am a big fan of Man Chester United Football Club in London,the United Kingdom.I like the sports so much so that I have bought jerseys from the club with the name of one the best players I admired on the jersey as a fan.Although he now plays soccer in Spain,I still admire him.His name is Christiano Rolnaldo.As an inspirational consumer, I encourage other fans of the club who might be disappointed when we are defeated by another club through text messages from my cellphone and on facebook.I sometime give excuses for the club when we lose games whether it's in the English Premier League(EPL),the Carling Cub,or in the European Soccer Champions League(ESCL) that despite everything else,we will have a comeback when we "put on house in order".This fan culture has been extended to my daughter who also watches the soccer games with me.I have no reason why she has become a fan,but all I know is that she's always cheering for Man Chester United in the red jerseys and shouts "the red devils" whenever they are playing whether or not I am in watching the games.

Last Blog Entry

2011-12-10T18:06:57Z

One huge cult following our society has faced in the last decade that holds a large amount of culture convergence in the Lord of the Rings trilogy films. These films have spawned a whole new culture and branch of business that rely on commodities in order to survive. These films have allowed fans to delve much deeper than just simply watching the films. One can not only just watch these films in the theatre or their home, but they can buy them, buy the soundtracks, buy posters, and even buy clothing and memorabilia of the films likes swords and "the ring".
The commodity of the business is necessary for the films to achieve the status they have attained. Without the commoditization they would not be nearly as successful. The films allow the viewer not only to just watch them, but also to create emotional ties with them. They are made in such a way that causes the viewer to relate to a certain character and then that character is marketed outside the film by use of product selling.
Like many other famous films, the Lord of the Rings series were first books before turned into films. As with many other instances, people start to read the books after the film's release. After the Lord of the Rings was released there were many special editions of the book out in stores for people to buy. This promotion gave people an extra incentive and interest to delve deeper into the Lord of the Rings fan culture. Once things like this start to happen is when the films turn into more than just a form of entertainment; they turn into a business for the film studio and everyone else involved. I think it's kind of depressing these days how many blockbusters form into a business and eventually a whole new culture. It really shows how much media controls us and what we are "supposed" to like and dislike.
In the recent years the Lord of the Rings movies buzz has dies down, but with the filming of The Hobbit, a prequel to the trilogy, I think this will spark a whole new like to the Lord of the Rings culture. It's going to add new fans to the culture which I think will make it even bigger than before.

Fan culture/media convergence blog

2011-12-10T17:51:36Z

Immediately I thought of Facebook when trying to come up with an idea for this blog post. Facebook has become a strange alternate reality for millions of people, and is a virtual community that has seeped into almost every aspect of real (tangible) life. This is perpetuated by the convergence of Facebook and other types of media. Media such as Mac advertisements and products, and even further, their applications and synchronization with Facebook. The convergence of these two types of media has in part created new uses for a "cell phone". I don't even feel comfortable calling them that anymore because only half the time they're being used for their original purpose. But that has changed as well- the purpose of the device. I am a total dupe to this- I own an iPhone, I am addicted to Facebook, and I use many of the applications created FOR iPhones to be used on Facebook. For example, I use the app Instagram constantly, updating my "friends" with photos of crap going on in my life that probably isn't even that interesting but hey, I can make the pictures look cool. Therefore my facebook is cool...? Because people "like" my pictures. Oh and Instagram has a "like" option too, which started on Facebook but has bled into every media outlet as a means for fans to express which and what kinds of media they like and dislike (i.e. youtube's thumbs up/down).
Taglines to sell Apple products often relate to "updating" your Facebook or Twitter account from your phone, or tablet, etc. Almost every news, magazine, video website.. or most websites in general now, have an icon or link you can click to embed that website's content on your Facebook page--usually labeled "sharing". Also, instead of creating an account with many websites- if you are logged on facebook, it will allow you to synchronize accounts... this makes using that site simpler and faster but it is extremely beneficial to them because you are giving them complete access to all of your information. The use of Facebook for any other form of media promotion is clutch in reaching target audiences, partly because of this "sharing" option--similar to the idea in the reader piece Buying Into American Idol, gossip fueling convergence... we "share" videos, talk about other media we are consuming, etc. Thus fueling the convergence of these media outlets because it is successful- we have the "incentive to share knowledge" and bring attention to media we enjoy so that others may enjoy it also.

Last Blog

2011-12-10T16:50:00Z

I have been watching the Oprah Winfrey Show my entire life. Literally, I do not have any idea when I started watching her show. The daycare lady I went to as a young child watched her religiously and I would frequently watch it with her, and my love grew from there. My family still tells stories of me as a four year old who would say things like "You are not my biological sister", using things I learned from Oprah even then. I have been an avid watcher my entire life, written reports on her, buying her 25th anniversary collection, and implementing her advise into my life on a regular basis. I have laughed and cried with her and consider her to be an extremely influential person in my life.There were some summers where my sisters and I would plan our entire day around being home in time for Oprah. I am without a doubt a loyal- long term committed consumer. Oprah has a way of connecting to people because of her humble roots and vibrant personality. Her carreer has been incredible in the creation of "inspirational custormers" , who take anything she has to say or endorses and get behind it. She has promoted thousands of products with her "Oprah's Favorite Things" episodes, book club, and very successful magazine. Oprah has created an empire with an enormous and religious fan following that. She has created a brand community, in that anything she endorses is destined to sell millions. Her book club alone has 2million members, along with countless more viewers who are non-members. Time Magazine says the club It's the greatest force in publishing today, with the power to raise authors from the dead (Leo Tolstoy) or crucify them on the national stage (James Frey). Oprah has unparalleled power of persuasion, she has built an empire of followers and can now use their loyalty as a branding technique to push her own projects as well as help other companies sell their products.

Last Blog

2011-12-10T04:51:07Z

Many books series are very good examples of fan culture and convergence culture. For example, The inheritance cycle is a popular fantasy book series about dragons, most commonly known for the first book Eragon. The first book was made into a movie, but like most movies made after books, did a poor job of encompassing the magical details that are present in the book, and because of this as well as massive amounts of fan disapproval, there were no more movies made of the other books. Fans certainly play a large part in this series. The series has two official websites, one for information about the author, the books, upcoming tours, videos and games, and the other website is specifically for fans. I am a huge fan of this series and started reading the books when I was in high school. Originally, the inheritance cycle was suppose to be a 3 book series, or the inheritance trilogy, however when the author released the 3rd book, he concluded at the end announcing there would have to be a fourth book. This started uproar by fans wanting to know every possible detail about the fourth book, which is where the convergence culture comes into play. The website designated for fans had multiple forums for members to post their thoughts and ideas about the last book. The site even included a place for fans to blog about how they thought the last book would end. One of the best examples in my opinion of convergence culture is how the website hosted a contest for fans to submit suggestions for the title of the final book, and the winner's would actually be used for the title. Paolini, the author of the series, started writing the first book Eragon when he was 15, and it wasn't published until 2003, the final book was recently published in November of 2011, (which I haven't began reading yet due to school, because once I start reading the 800+ page book, i can pretty much say goodbye to my social life for approximately 4 days). I cant help but wonder if Paolini incorporated fan ideas into his series, because the website literally had hundreds of forums and blog post of different peoples ideas of how the book should end. I wonder this because Paolini spent so much time on the first and second book, it seems almost impossible for him to complete a 3rd and 4th book in the matter of a few years. Either way, the website embodies fan culture, as well as convergence culture, through its vast number of activities for fans, ranging from games to contests to a variety of forums questioning fans appeal to different aspects of the books and what they expect in the future from the author.

Last Blog

2011-12-10T01:48:17Z

... I feel like such a nerd.

First of all, I apologize because I'm going to say something we somewhat talked about in class because I can go far deeper within it. I'm going to talk about my own experience with fan culture when it comes to Anime/Manga. In the fan culture, a person who is known as Anime fan is known as Otaku (just like how you call Star Trek fans as Trekies). Otakus also have a bad stereotype around them and they're either known as crazy or a creepier (unfortunately). And Anime/Manga has a large range of genre and different types of magazines, publishing companies, and anime companies.
Branding does happen in Anime but it's something you have to find (branding doesn't happen that often from what I've experienced) and America does censor it in fear of getting sued. In Code Geass (which is a super popular anime), one of the characters loves eating pizza. So in the original Japanese version of Code Geass, you can see many Pizza Hut boxes. Pizza Hut did a promotion for Code Geass and they sold a limited time custom Code Geass box along with a code for downloadable wallpaper, and an entry for a contest where the prize is a pizza box and script signed by the creators of Code Geass. If you're a loyal fan of Code Geass (like me) most likely you would become a pizza hut loyal or create a love mark.
Code Geass also has a lot of products along with it such as 4 different series (books) of different character's perspectives, there are plushies, cell phone charms, cosplay, posters, fanart, fancomic (doujinshi), figuring, video games, CDs, contact lens (to match the main character's eyes), etc. I even submit to buying the whole series and a huge poster of Code Geass even though I don't go out to buy dvds that often. I still have a grab of me (unfortunately along with my wallet). In Japan they sold about 900,000 copies of the dvds and one of the best selling dvds in Japan as well.
Code Geass's fanculture is big and filled with emotions. The fans even started a petition on making a 3rd season after the series ended. Because of the petition, the developers of Code Geass decided to make a 3rd season and it is still in process.

96.3 NOW Convergence and Fan Culture

2011-12-10T00:01:22Z

Convergence culture and fan culture has really made a big impact on different media texts over the last decade. The idea of having fans control what's on these media texts brings a whole new criteria and resource. As mentioned in Jenkin's article by Kevin Roberts, CEO worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, "emotion is an unlimited resource" (Jenkins, 70).

The media text that I make a connection with this new kind of convergence/fan culture is through radio stations; specifically 96.3 NOW radio station. I listen to 963 NOW a lot because I'm always driving to school or somewhere, and also my CD player in my car is broken. 963 NOW always advertises that it plays all the hit music from today and right NOW. Also, using fan culture, the radio station let's its listeners control what's playing next, what they should do for next events, etc. You could go vote online, text or call in to hear what you want to listen to and they'll play it on the radio. As do many other radio stations, they may have people call in to interact with them on their opinions about certain news or stories. 963 NOW also holds many contests where you have to call in and be the Nth caller to win a prize. There's always those people you hear on the radio that win and says something like, "OMG, I never win anything or I never get through the phone lines!" That which appeals to the listeners' emotions and makes them feel like they could win also; anyone can win.

In regards to affective economics, there are other certain brands that make a connection with 963 NOW. Taco Bell has many ties to 963 NOW; they make many donations towards the 963 NOW food drive and donate money for prizes. Other businesses that you probably could not miss while listening to 963 NOW are the unforgettable jingles such as 1-800-411-PAIN or 1-800-ASK-GARY.

963 NOW creates a brand community that let their fans become actively involved with the 963 NOW brand and its' daily DJ's that hosts the main talk shows. As I've mentioned earlier, there is the voting system that lets people vote for their favorite music. There are also "Golden Life" parties hosted by 963 NOW and Michelob Golden Light beer. These "Golden Life" parties are very spontaneous and happens whenever and where ever. There are also different DJ's that host at different bars/clubs on the weekends. I know that Tone E. Fly hosts at Oak City every Friday. He sits at front of the bar and just kinda makes comments and plays music. He also interacts with the crowd and meet loyal listeners. Another big time to interact with 963 now is at the State Fair. So loyal listeners could be a part of this brand community by attending these parties and could also buy 963 NOW clothes at the State Fair.

963 NOW also hosts community events or hosts events at high schools or promotes concerts. If you go to one of these events you could see 963 NOW ads everywhere. They also ride in a cool 963 NOW truck which has the big logo on it. 963 NOW pushes to be more than just a radio station, but a community and culture in the Twin Cities.

-Submitted by Chua Xiong

Last Blog

2011-12-09T18:28:53Z

One very good example of convergence/fan culture is the Harry Potter series. I have read all seven of the books by J.K. Rowling multiple times and I've seen all the movies. There is a huge fan culture associated with the series, and I wouldn't call myself a huge fan so I haven't experienced all of it. Just like the romance novel fans in the article by Janice Radway, there are things fans do and do not like about the movie series. The books are golden, so fans get in an uproar whenever the movies change the plot a little and stray away from the books. For example, I was pretty upset with the last fight scene between Harry and Voldemort in the last movie because it was nothing at all like what happened in the book. Apart from the movies and books, there are a lot of other things associated with the series in the fan culture that I take part in. For example, my friends and I always go to the movies together when they come out (we dressed up as movie characters for the last one), we have Harry Potter marathon nights, take online quizzes to see which "house" we would be in, among other things. My personal favorite is the fan-made production "A Very Potter Musical" and the sequel, which are both on YouTube. Also, the U has a Quidditch team that I was in last year, so I guess I am a HP nerd.

I don't take part in all fan culture things, however. For example, there is a lot of Harry-Potter themed "fan fiction" out there that continues Harry's story after Rowling's books. There is also tons of Harry Potter merchandise like t-shirts, wands, brooms, etc. There is even the "World of Harry Potter" theme park in Orlando, Florida that I've never been to but I would love to visit someday! Now that the books are over, some fans just can't let go. For these people, Rowling wrote a companion book based on a scene in The Deathly Hallows called The Tales of Beedle the Bard (I've read it), and made some kind of HP experience website called Pottermore (I have not read it).

Listing all these things makes me think that Harry Potter has arguably one of the biggest and most dedicated fan cultures in America. Also, I didn't realize before just how much of this fan culture I take part in, so I guess I'm more of a Harry Potter nerd than I thought.

Last blog prompt

2011-12-09T16:49:45Z

When thinking about convergence culture and fan culture the first thing that comes to mind is the Twilight series. I have read all four of the books in the series and seen all of the movies that have come out so far. It is very evident that twilight has captured a very wide fan base that is incredibly devoted to the series and all of its productions. After reading the article titled Buying into American Idol, I realized that there are many ways in which convergence culture is produced such as affective economics, brand community, and love marks. Love marks occur when product placement is used strategically to create awareness, love and loyalty towards a brand. One of the biggest and most obvious examples of this from the Twilight series is the use and exploitation of Volvo the automobile company. The books and the movies specifically mention that the Cullens, the main vampire family, drives a Volvo. More specifically, Edward Cullen, who is admired by the majority of female viewers, drives a Volvo. This is placed strategically throughout the books and movies to create desire for the vehicles.

Janice Radway's article Women Read the Romance discusses the various reasons that a woman would desire to read romance novels. A lot of women that read romance novels admit that they do so because it creates a sense of fantasy and an escape from their reality. After reading the twilight books and seeing how the fan base reacts to the series and has become obsessed with the fantasy that it creates for them, I see that it is not very different from that of the romance novels. Twilight is a fictional story about a romance between a vampire and a human which is obviously very far from reality. I can attest to the fact that the series tends to allow me to escape reality and experience a fantasy by reading or watching. I think that novels such as Twilight are becoming a substitute, a more modern source of fantasy for young women.

FINAL DQS FOR THE SEMESTER GO HERE.

2011-12-07T19:55:02Z

Thank you, smart people!

Fantasy Sports Culture Convergence

2011-12-06T16:45:45Z

Culture convergence applied to American Ideal and described by Jenkins made me think of fantasy sports as a culture convergent. Although fantasy sports do not really rely as heavily on love marks and product placement such as American Ideal, there are certain similarities. Fantasy sports allow fans of many different levels of sports to become active viewers of sports by factiously picking real players and having head to head match ups with their friends on a day or weekly basis. Depending on how a fantasy sports team's players perform in the real game points are applied to determine the winner of the head to head match up.

Commodification is present within the fantasy sports culture. Prior to every sport's season that allows for fantasy participation such as football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and racing many sports magazines release special fantasy editions. These special fantasy editions give the editors rankings of players and whom they believe to have the best value for the fan's fantasy team. There is also commodification within what website a fantasy league chooses to use for their league. Yahoo may offer up-to-date news about players that will affect one's fantasy team while ESPN.com will offer live up to the minute fantasy scores for one's smartphone. These sites also intertwine products within their sites that apply to the fantasy sport.

An example of a product tie in is Toyota's "Fantasy Football Hall of Fame" that it promotes with Yahoo Fantasy Football. Fantasy Football team owners are encouraged by the promotion to nominate a person from their league to be in Toyota's "fantasy Football Hall of Fame." This is of course a great example of love marks as Jenkins describes in the article "Buying into American Ideal." Along with Toyota on the Yahoo Fantasy Football page is Bud Light. Bud Light's promotion gives fantasy football team owners the ability to talk "smack" to their opposition for the week with texts that will appear when the opponent goes to check out the match up. It's interesting to note that both of these sponsors are already highly involved with advertising during professional sports broadcasts. They already know who their target audience is and that they are likely to play fantasy sports.

The consumers of fantasy sports as well fit the examples of Jenkins analysis of American Ideal. The aspect of actually having some sort of involvement with sports will determine if someone will play fantasy sports. If, one does not watch or like sports and they do not have friends that enjoy sports then they probably will not participate. However, if there is any kind of involvement with sports passive or aggressive then there is a higher chance that they will participate. The zappers described in Jenkins' article could be perceived in the fantasy sports context of team owners whose involvement is very low. The fantasy sports zappers are really only involved with the league due to the social aspect. The casual fantasy sports fan will update their team regularly and more than the zapper. However, their involvement is to the point where it's really viewed as a "silly" game and really just fun. The loyals of fantasy sports update their teams every day and have a sense of competition with the head to head match ups.

Overall, there is quite similar culture convergence with fantasy sports and America Ideal.