Regarding Term Paper

This is a superbowl commercial I found while doing another project recently, in another class for Ian, the same teacher who started us on these blogs actually. Anyway, although I'm sure there are thousands of examples of my term paper's point I particularly like this one as it seems to be my term paper "remediated" into video form. Funny that I found it while doing a project on remediation.



I found this video spoke to my term paper because it has all the same aspects. Everyone on the street is separated from each other, despite their proximity they're all in their own worlds. I found it particularly ironic in the scene where a woman is having trouble getting a stroller up a flight of stairs, a man sitting on the stairs on his laptop changes into his avatar which happens to be a superhero. Yet despite his media imagining of superhero status he still ignores, or cannot see the woman in need of help in the real world.

The following scene shows an interesting event as well. There is a kid sitting with his dog. The kid is in his own world using his PSP for some type of racing game, and the dog is just sitting and watching him with his ball. The dog rolls the ball to his would-be walker though to no avail, the owner is trapped in their media cocoon.

Coca-cola is quite clever with their final scene though. They not only show an almost Mcluhanist warning of media immersion, they also made a solicitation of their product by showing coca-cola as the only thing truly powerful enough to free people from their media-trance.

Though I suppose I can understand how the two characters both somehow ordered the same drink at that internet cafe esque location. The final exterior shots shows us that for some reason the internet cafe has a giant coca-cola logo on the roof rather than a name for the cafe. I guess the drink choices could be a bit limiting in that case.

Term Paper

The following is my Mass Communication term paper, to which I've made reference in various earlier posts. Most notably the laurel resting one... I don't believe it necessary to share the grade, for fear that it give you some predisposition towards it's worth and or value. I say only that I was more proud of it than of any essay I'd ever written.


Grant Tabler 
Ian Reilly 
AHSS 1060 Mass Communication 
November 10, 2009

The Instant World

We live in an age of digitization. On a daily basis we are assaulted by a flurry of high tech, solutions to all our problems. Usually the message is a simple one; buy our product to better yourself. However, recently there seems to be more products boasting the ability to make your life easier, happier, and better, with little effort on your part. In this respect, society seems to have lost its way, though not just because of technological advancements. Our need to have everything done automatically has led to an instant gratification market. We want things done quickly and easily with as little input from the user as possible, we have become increasingly dependent on automatic solutions, and I believe this has become especially prevalent because of new technology and available media.

With advances in technology, people are able to buy “miracle” products that don’t require any hard work or change in their behaviour. Instead, people can become thin and sexy without all that troublesome diet and exercise business. This is the essence of the instant gratification market. The instant gratification market is predicated on the idea that businesses are able to make large quantities of money by giving people “something for nothing”. In reality however, it is more of a nothing for something relationship. For, although the consumer sees the process as getting results without effort. What is really happening is the business is giving a temporary solution, and getting money out of it. This is only a temporary solution because it is too easy; it does not require the person to change their negative behaviours. 

Multiple Essays Submitted Together...

Grant Tabler

Alison Bruce

MDST 1010 – 01

December 7^th 2009

Squandering a Medium

Our media immersed culture thrives on our ability to quickly attain information. This ability is enhanced by online video hosting. YouTube and the National Film Board of Canada, have sites that allow the public free access to information. However these sites have different ideas when it comes to what should be posted and by whom.

Computer Wars

Computer Wars

Grant Tabler
Feature Writer

While most students opt to buy a laptop for their first year of University, the operating system often varies. The choice is a simple one, Mac or PC, but the reasons behind this choice are somewhat more complex.

Mass Communication in the Digital Age

"The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate." Joseph Priestly

"Electronic communication is an instantaneous and illusory contact that creates a sense of intimacy without the emotional investment that leads to close friendships." Clifford Stoll

These are both really interesting quotes, the first I heard years ago, though I really didn’t understand it then. The second I’ve found only recently though it is remarkably eloquent in voicing an idea I’ve, as of yet, been unable to.

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine...

Just thought I would let my readers know, (both of you) that the course required blog posts are complete. However, I will endeavour to continue posting blogs and try my best not to let them degenerate into rants about what I hate about society. As a real blog, a true dissemination of information and ideas is not the crude thing many have used it for. As such I will attempt to post several of the blogs I wrote during the semester that had no relevance to the topics I was given.

Until then, feel free to bask in the overwelming writing prowess of my previous blog posts. Until I get the marks back for them and see that I've failed them...

All the Best
Grant

The Matrix Manifesto

This was my personal response to Mass Communications and the final assignment we were asked to complete for the course. I was inspired to create this one night after re-watching The Matrix. That movie had been a theme for me all though the course and indeed so far all through University. This piece of writing started, like most of my writing, from feverish scribbling of an idea that enveloped my mind though threatened to disappear. This being a personal reflection I suppose it wasn't originally meant to be published and seems to be more aimed at my professor and possibly my fellow students. None the less I shall post it here as a recollection of this writing endeavour, should I ever lose track of it on my computer. As media can occasionally be somewhat troublesome in that regard.
This is probably the longest complete essay type reflection I've ever written. Though I still maintain that it is "As long as necessary and as short as possible." -Ian Reilly. Perhaps, "As Simple as Possible but not Simpler." -Einstein


Grant Tabler

Ian Reilly
AHSS 1060 Mass Communication
December 1^st, 2009

The Matrix Manifesto

I believe The Matrix is the single greatest media analysis and portrayal in a movie that I have seen. I seem to constantly inference things to it or quote from it. Since writing about the matrix was the first real writing I did for Mass Communications, I think it fitting that the last writing I do for this class should continue the theme. I saw it again recently, and every time I see it I see different things. I now try to decipher its semiotics. I see themes and symbols that I did not recognise earlier.

First, before I begin talking about The Matrix, semiotics, and a demonstration of what I have learned, I would like to make a comment about this course. I have thoroughly enjoyed this course, it is the most analysis and critical thinking I have ever had to do. I would like to thank Ian Reilly and Paul Vermeersch for this. I do not know what I will face in the coming years, but I cannot help but hope that there are more courses as fantastic as this one.