A little about me..
2nd year. Majoring in English Language & Linguistics.
I find solace in long periods of
Hence, "snorlax".
(Note: That's a pokemon.)
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Therefore, the basic understand of cyborgs is half human-half machine, like Frankenstein and Robocop. However, unbeknownst to us, claims are being made that we are cyborgs too!Haraway (1991) states that “a cyborg is a cybernetic organism, a hybrid of machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction” (p. 150). Therefore, the common understanding of a cyborg, according to this definition, is accurate – half human-half machine. Basically, this means that a cyborg is an embodiment that exists in the real world, whlist functioning from a virtual reality and vice versa. At this point, you would be shaking your head in disagreement – you are all human, definitely not a machine. It's okay. I've been there too.
What was originally used as a form of escapism, has become reality – cyberspace. Humans resume a cyborgian identity as ones identity in the real world can be altered in cyberspace (Robins, 2000). In short, we use avatars to communicate. When posting comments on online communities, especially in wordpress, you are asked to choose an avatar – your “self” or “face” in online communities. I was familiarized with avatars being your “face” in online communities through wordpress. Here, an individual becomes a mesh of human and machine – human communication through a machine; thus the individual resumes a cyborgian identity. This concept is best illustrated by facebook – you posting through an avatar on facebook.
In today's world, technological devices and just basically technology is integrated with our bodies – though not always literally. We are heavily dependent on machines (technology) to go about in our daily lives. Technology can even be identified to be extensions of ourselves, similar to how eating utensils such as cutlery is used to be an extension of our hands. In a way, as the machines become an inseparable part of us, in a sense we become cyborgs. Two separate entities are merged into one to create us.
This was especially true when I started having withdrawal symptoms when I had to get my laptop fixed a while back as I treat my laptop as an extension of myself. It's not so much for leisure anymore, but just the idea of being on my laptop aimlessly surfing through the net. On a random note, this perfectly exemplifies McLuhan's statement - “the medium is the message”.
This video exemplifies our reliance on technology:
Therefore, in the spirits of admitting my cyborgian identity, using the contents from Week 6, Rhetoric, I would like to end this entry with as delusional as it may seem:
Rain fell in love with a cyborg + I am a cyborg = Rain fell in love with me.*
* reference to the Korean movie “I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK”. The lead actor in the movie is Rain.
My favourite all-time classic movie would be The Little Rascals. As a child, I watched The Little Rascals more times than I could count, to the point where I memorized the lines (though when recited, I probably sounded really incoherent being only 6 – 7 years old then).
One of the many scenes I remember until this day.
As for television shows, I have two favourites; Friends and That 70's Show.
Clip from That 70s Show
The purpose of this entry relates to the personal excerpt of my favourite television shows and movie because the question I will be answering will provide explanations as to how television and film shapes a person's identity. With “identity” being the main focus of this entry, sociological jargons will thus be utilized frequently.
With television nowadays being accessible to many, it cannot be denied that television will unconsciously effect ones behaviors and perceptions to some things – influences from television integrates itself with the construction of identity.
But, what exactly is identity? Identity is created by an individual during adolescence in order to “create a sense of self”, to distinguish themselves from others (Harris, 2003). The construction of identity begins from an early stage in life until death, and the process where one learns the norms, roles and values of their society is known as socialization (Marsh, 2005). As the process of socialization is an on-going process – therefore, identity is constantly being restructured and altered.
As individuals learn norms and values from a variety of domains - mass media, inclusive of television and film, is one of them. According to Shepard (2010), although the direct effects of mass media during socialization is not obvious, it is however said to be one of the contributing factors towards the creation of “self”. Shepard (2010) further states that this is because “the media provides information, promote social continuity and integration, supply entertainment, explain and interpret events and information” (pg. 116). Therefore, from what is portrayed through television, individuals will pick up on some characteristics portrayed by the actors and make it their own. Though this does not necessarily mean that when one watches violent movies, they will become violent too.
Personally, That 70s Show had influenced the way I interact with my friends. At times I can be quite sarcastic and I think this is due to the extensive use of sarcasm in the show. In a sense, what I watch on the television screen is transmitted to me to form a part of my identity. That however, is just a part of my identity that is influenced by television. In extreme cases, the influence of television and film is a lot more evident.
For instance in http://youtu.be/oYCew-nq-X0. The two characters in the clip are heavily influenced by Lord of the Rings, to the extent where they are able to communicate in Elvish (a language used among Elves in the story). They have assimilated the language of the Elves, and integrated it with their identity. For them to be communicating with each other in "Elvish", it suggests that to them, the influence of Lord of the Rings is so strong that it becomes an intergral part of their identity.
What exactly is the difference between captions and cut lines? They're actually almost similar as they are both used in the same place. The difference is, captions are the headlines of a cut line and a cut line is the description of an image (ku.edu, n.d.). This is similar to the concept of a newspaper, an essay, and even this blog post! The title precedes the content, however captions and cut lines are pertaining to a picture.
The term 'captions' and 'cut lines' are used interchangeably as they are basically the same if you ignore the technicalities. The purpose of a caption is to gauge the intended reaction from an audience and in the brief description, the details that are supposed to be included are answers to the who, what, where, when, why and how questions (Aggarwal, 2006). So, how do captions and cut lines re-frame the meaning of an image?
Captions and cut lines work in the same manner “anchorage” does in semiotics. To recap, “anchorage” refers to a text or a caption which builds a bridge between a picture and its intended meaning (Sellers & Gonzales, 2002). However, it does not stop here. It goes one step further as it frames the interpretation of meanings to just one thing. With reference to the Agenda Setting Theory, the captions and cut lines tells readers how to think in relation to the image, not what to think about (Griffin, 2009). To reiterate the point I made before, captions and cut lines can alter the meaning of an image as it specifies the meaning through the text below a picture.
How exactly does the agenda setting theory squeeze itself in, in this case? Agenda setting is defined as “the process where the mass media defines what we think and worry about” (Sanchez, 2002). This concept can be applied in the case of captions and cut lines because ones interpretation is reduced to something specific. One thing is highlighted from a wide array of interpretations and only one of the vast amounts of meanings become prominent. This is similar to how captions and cut lines re-frame meanings.
From a recent article, how captions and cut lines re-frame the meaning of an image:
Image taken from Liza's article from the Borneo Bulletin on Friday 11th November, 2011.
References:
Aggarwal, V. B. (2006). Essentials of practical journalism. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.bn/books?id=m7_DtngZLogC&lpg=PA80&dq=Photography%20cut%20lines%20caption&pg=PA80#v=onepage&q&f=false on November 8, 2011.
Griffin, E. (2009). A first look at communication theory (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
ku.edu. (n.d.). Photo captions & cutlines. Retrieved from http://web.ku.edu/~edit/captions.html on November 8, 2011.
Sanchez, M. (2002). Agenda setting. Retrieved from http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~johnca/spch100/7-4-agenda.htm on November 12, 2011.
Sellers,P., & Gonzales, S. (2002). The language of advertising. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/class/linguist34/Unit_03/anchor-relay.htm on November 12, 2011.
11.
print screen from lecture slide
From the advertisement, you can assume that it is trying to say that McDonald's serves fresh fries which is just that good. How can you reach this assumption? The advertisement does not lay it out on a silver platter to you. Instead, it makes you connect the dots. In relation to the previous entry, this would not succeed if you do not have the schema for french fries.Another reason which can explain why the advertisement is persuasive is because of the medium it uses. This falls under the claim that rhetoric in advertising prioritizes the style over the content (McQuarrie & Philipps, 2007, p. 4). The advertisement would not be as convincing if it were disseminated via other mediums. For instance, if this were on television, it would not be as well received because the 'language' of television is different from that of print advertisements.
- French fries made from fresh from potatoes are good.
- McDonald's french fries are made from potatoes.
- Therefore, McDonald's french fries are delicious because they are made fresh from potatoes.
So, when illustrated, the representation of the Schema Theory could possibly look like this:
Content exemplified from csus.edu. Having already pinpointed the fact that schemas are personalized according to the person, Tracey (2006, p.51) claims that Schema Theory suggests that when a person's schema on a particular topic is detailed, it would be easier for them to accept and absorb the introduction of new information on that topic. Whereas, it is suggested that when one does not have an existing schema on a particular topic, that person would have difficulty with absorbing the information transmitted to them because they cannot identify with what is being conveyed to them. To sum it up, the Schema Theory is basically a mental framework a person has on a particular topic and that a person's schema can affect the way they receive new information about a certain topic.
Therefore, with the Schema Theory having been introduced in the previous paragraphs, the question as to why schema is important when creating an image is raised. Why is it important? In the case of advertisers, it is fairly straight forward – to make sure the images they use appeals to and is understood by their target audience. In order to make sure this happens, they would need to use images which their audience identifies with. These same reasons can also be applied with just images in general. Schema plays a role in the process of image construction so the person making the image can use widely acknowledged concepts or ideas which people can relate to in order to create a picture.
For instance;
The video above is similar to "Chinese whispers". However, instead of a sentence being verbally relayed from one person to the next, it is a drawing.
The second contestant was able to identify the picture drawn by the first contestant because elements that a kangaroo possesses, that is within their schema, was identified in the picture - such as the shape of a kangaroo and the pouch with the baby kangaroo in it. However, as the pictures get passed along, the identifiable element gets distorted or eliminated and thus becomes unrecognizable and not within their schema of a kangaroo (or anything they have ever seen). Therefore, this video shows that people recognize things by drawing on their previously-stored knowledge of an object, or in the case above, animal. When faced with things not within their schema, they would link the foreign object to the closest thing they can relate it to, in the case above, a painting of Mona Lisa.
If you have never watched Pokemon, you would most likely not be able to identify with the object in the picture above. Instead, you would most likely try to draw on the closest thing in your schema to identify the object. Therefore, you are most likely to identify the above image as a pink blob or a pink paint splatter with a smiley face. However, if you are familiar with Pokemon, you would know that it is a Pokemon called Ditto.
In conclusion, schema is essential when creating an image because the illustrator would need to have knowledge about the object they are illustrating to make the image understandable and successfully. Basically, without schema, the illustrator would not be able to create an image because it would mean they do not have a basic framework of how the object they are illustrating is supposed to look like.
