Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Noam Chomsky: Filters of Mass Media; Propaganda & Public Relations

Public Relations is the business of shaping and maintaining a public image of a celebrity, company, organization, or, even, a government. The Public is defined as clients, voters, members of a community, media consumers, parents/students, online groups, citizens...basically, anyone consuming mass media. With social media, public relations can directly influence or manipulate the masses. Take, for example, Mark Zuckerberg's most recent PR blunder and the Cambridge Analytica apology.

Propaganda is the idea or statement (often false or exaggerated/hyperbole...) that are spread culturally in order to help a cause, a political leader or party, a government, or any established institution. The fiasco concerning the Russian Bots, for example, are a good example of this.

Advertising, on the other hand, uses simple or fixed messages through "ads" to influence a consumer to buy a product. This may include product placement on social media or in films, for example.

TASK: take a look at these cartoons, PSA commercials, or media clips, and ask: What is the idea, statement, or image being shaped or spread? How might the message help a specific cause? What biases are inherent in the message? Then, in the COMMENT section of this post, please choose a few examples from what you've studied here and comment on the role of Public Relations & Propaganda in our Media today. This assignment will be due by end of class Friday.

Check this website and read about propaganda here to get you started: United States Holocaust Museum.

Noam Chomsky: The 5 Filters of Mass Media (video)
Manufacturing Consent (Chomsky, illustrated video); Manufacturing Dissent (video/interview)
PsyWar (2010, documentary)

Propaganda & Public Relations:

Watch a variety of the clips below today in class. Note how the makers of these films/clips use pathos and logos to persuade us (perhaps by changing our feelings or making us think or feel.) Use what you've just learned about Noam Chomsky's filters of the Mass Media and what you've learned. As you watch, identify: Who's point of view is being presented? After viewing, select up to 5 of the pieces (make sure you have watched at least 1 of each type: commercials, PSA films, and cartoons) and comment on the video in the COMMENT section below for participation credit. Compare/contrast ideas.

Commercials:
Propaganda and PSA films:
Cartoons:
HOMEWORK: Ongoing. See above. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Game Review Article; Ready Player One

  Please write a review of the Atari 2600, NES or Sega game you played. Your article should include the following: 1. A researched historic...