Semiotic and Psychoanalytic approaches for critically analyzing media
I put a lot of work into this discussion board post, so I thought I'd post it on my blog, too.
I agree with Lisa that many of these critical approaches overlap. And I would have like to have seen more of a discussion of “high-quality� media versus “low-quality� media in Chapter 4. In know this is a “binary� distinction (and binary distinctions were often ridiculed in Chapter 4…especially in the Poststructuralist Approach), but there has to be a continuum between “high-quality/good� and “low-quality/bad� media. For example, “The Sopranos� TV show and “The Economist� magazine would be closer to the high-quality end of the spectrum, and “Two and a Half Men� and “US Weekly� would be closer to the low-quality end.
OK…let’s get to the actual assignment. I chose the Semiotic Analysis and the Psychoanalytic Theories. I’ll give a quick summary of the key points of each, and then include an example from the course website. I’ll also include some ideas about incorporating these two approaches into a classroom.
Semiotic Analysis focuses on cultural symbols and codes. For example, scenes of nature can associate a product with freshness and simplicity, and scenes of beautiful women can associate a product with helping increase the male viewer’s chance of attracting these beautiful women. One interesting part of Semiotic Analysis is that the meaning of the symbols/codes have a lot to do with who is doing the interpretation (i.e., who is viewing). For example, a feminist scholar working at a university would likely interpret beer commercials with swimsuit models differently than a high school boy watching the same commercial with his friends.
A great example of Semiotic Analysis on the Course Web Site is a paper about magazine ads for men’s fragrances (click here). The paper analyzes photos and symbols in ads for male fragrances appearing in male magazines like Sky, FHM, and Esquire. The ads often show good-looking men in their twenties by themselves in remote locations. The symbol of a good-looking male being associated with the product is more obvious, but I was surprised to read about how solitary men in the ads associate the product with freedom. Dior’s ad’s tagline was blatant in this regard: “Essence of Freedom.� And yes, there were a few ads that showed men “getting it on� with good-looking women. I couldn’t help but think of the Axe commercials as “over-the-top� examples of a male fragrance’s ability to attract beautiful women. Here’s a selection of them from YouTube:
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Some ideas I had about including Semiotic Analysis into a classroom:
* A classroom could analyze some fantasy video game commercials. The students could analyze them to find symbols of gender and values (such as freedom and power). Students could discuss what meanings companies want teens to get out of such advertisements, and possibly meanings that parents would find in the ads as well.
* Would it be right to show beer commercials in a classroom to show how companies encourage teens to drink? I think this could run into more trouble than its worth among parents and administrators, although doing this in a Health classroom may be possible.
Psychoanalytic Theories are actually an umbrella of approaches, encompassing Feminist Analysis, Postmodern Analysis, and Postcolonial Analysis. These theories deal with subconscious desires and how they shape the viewer’s experience with media. These theories overlap with Semiotic Analysis, because many of the same cues/codes associate media images with preconceived notions of the general American public. For example, strong women (e.g. Hillary Clinton) are often demonized by certain media because they break with the standard ideas of strength being associated with maleness. Most commercials targeted towards men portray women as sexual objects to be gazed at. Many movies also show strong women “getting their just desserts� at the end.
An interesting example of Psychoanalysis on the Course Web page was a discussion about Citizen Kane and Rosebud (click here). Most interpretations of Charles Foster Kane’s childhood sled deal with Rosebud being a symbol of unfulfilled childhood promise, but Collen in this post associates Rosebud more with Kane’s desire for public praise and importance. Long after Rosebud, Kane tried to fill his life with other objects that made him “feel important� and in-touch with the public world. This post shows some slight differences between Semiotic and Psychoanalytic approaches, but I still feel Psychoanalysis can be overdone and over-interpreted.
Some ideas I had about Psychoanalytic Theories into my classroom:
* I think Postcolonial Analysis would fit great into a language arts or social studies classroom. For example, students could read parts Huckleberry Finn or Uncle Tom’s Cabin and compare the representation of African-Americans back then to a more current media selection (e.g. Malcolm X, The Color Purple, even To Kill a Mockingbird). It would be interesting to show how some things changed over time, but how many stayed the same. Comparisons to current black stereotypes (e.g., rap stars) could also be made.
* Would it be possible to do a “queer theory� analysis of the heterosexual standard in our media? This is another lightning-rod issue that would need to be covered carefully to make sure a parental uproar did not ensue. Analysis of the heterosexual standard is an area I see becoming more and more important in future classrooms, after the political uproar dies down and the general American public becomes more comfortable with homosexuality.
