Extra Credit Prompt

I had never used a blog before entering RTF 305. As someone who is actively immersed in internet culture, I had certainly read a few, but it had never really occurred to me to start my own. I was excited by the prospect, even if I knew my blog wouldn’t exactly be receiving a high amount of traffic.

Throughout the semester, I discovered both pros and cons to using the blog as a class tool. The primary positive aspect to the system was that it allowed traditional writing assignments to feel far more unique and exciting than they would have otherwise. The ability to incorporate multimedia aspects into blog posts provided a welcome change of pace from the “12 point font, Times New Roman, double spaced, one inch margins” style every single writing assignment in every single other class seems to require. At the same time, the flip side to this creativity provided my primary difficulty in using the blog. The creativity inherent in a personal blog conflicted with the rigidity of the grading rubric provided for each post. Rather than a smooth, flowing style, my posts read like they were being written to a bullet point checklist, which they essentially were. My desire for creative (albeit controlled) expression was overridden by my desire for full credit, and the two could not always be rectified. This was an easy difficulty to overcome; of course, as a student in the class, I did whatever was required for full credit, and let my creative impulses idle. However, I feel that this may have defeated the purpose of the blogs to a large degree.

The most interesting blog prompts were the ones that were more general, over the very specific prompts. It is quite easy to provide examples of both. My favorite blog prompt was one that required me to relate the concept of social learning to a real-life example. I used Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, easily my favorite movie released all year. This allowed for the personal expression I enjoyed in the blogs, while still remaining on point and on topic. In contrast, my least favorite blog prompt required me to identify a long shot, medium shot, and close up in a film, and explain their significance. Although the choice of film was left to the writer, the nature of the requirements meant there was very little freedom outside of the initial choice. Once the film was selected, there was very little room for improvisation or personality in the blog post itself.

With all this being said, I believe the pros outweigh the cons, and the blogs are worth using not just in RTF 305, but, at the very least, in other media-based courses as well. The only improvement I can suggest that would make them a more effective tool would be to use more generalized prompts, and to avoid bullet point rubrics, instead grading on the quality of the posts themselves. This would, admittedly, be a more subjective grading style, but that doesn’t stop any other class from requiring assignments of such a nature. With that change implemented, I believe the blogs are an effective tool to make students think more closely about their writing than they might have otherwise, which is a worthy goal.

Yes, you can use my blog in a paper or report.

Globalization

In the broadest sense, globalization refers to the ongoing process of increasing interconnectedness among countries, cultures, and people all across the globe. By far the biggest factor in globalization is technological advancement. Cell phones and the internet have allowed us to connect with our local friends at all times, while also connecting with strangers who could live in the same town as us, or live halfway across the world. However, while technology plays the biggest role in globalization, media plays an important role as well. The importing of foreign media can allow for cultural diffusion, and an increased connectedness to other cultures. In the United States, this is most visible with Japanese media, with products like manga, anime, and video games gaining huge followings and devoted audiences.

However, not all media products are imported directly. In some cases, in an attempt to appeal to a more mainstream audience, a process known as glocalization occurs. In glocalization, a successful concept from one country or place is lifted, adopted and altered in content and tone, and used in another place. To continue my blog's trend of repeating topics, The Office provides a great example of glocalization.

The original British version of The Office presented a mockumentary style look at a workplace, that thrived on awkward humor and a dry tone. Interestingly, the pilot for the American version of The Office is a word for word recreation of the British version. With the high quality of the British pilot, this would not seem to be a problem, but the pilot of the American series is widely regarded as one of the weakest episodes of the whole series. The reason for this is simple: the style that worked for the British version simply didn't work for the American show. The producers quickly realized this, and the show was adapted to become more successful in the United States. Only after The Office was glocalized did it become one of the most successful comedies on television, even now in its seventh season. Glocalization allows media to be successful in foreign countries, even in an altered form. In this sense, it greatly assists in the process of globalization.

The image used in this post can be found here:
http://bgavideo.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/top-five-current-tv-shows/

The Most Interesting Man in the World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI58wj4b4g0

It's tough to imagine anyone not being familiar with the advertisement featured above. Seemingly overnight, the Most Interesting Man in the World has become a veritable pop culture icon. The concept behind the ads is quite simple. The "most interesting man in the world" is presented, and an omniscient narrator describes his achievements in laugh, all ridiculously exaggerated for comedic effect. In every advertisement featuring the character, his ending line is always the same "I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis." The beer itself is briefly focused on, then the Most Interesting Man in the World works in one final line: "Stay thirsty, my friends." Despite already watching the video above before starting this post, I wouldn't have needed it fresh in my mind to write out the quotes. They're so memorable that they've transcended the ad, and become part of pop culture. The ads are powerful because they are clever, entertaining, and memorable. Merely telling someone to "stay thirsty" instantly conjures up thoughts of Dos Equis, making the Most Interesting Man in the World one of the most effective advertising campaigns I've ever seen.

Out of the many advertising appeals discussed by Professor Straubhaar, one in particular stands out in terms of applying to the Most Interesting Man in the World: that of achievement/prominence/attention. The nature of the appeal is somewhat self-explanatory. Ads employing this appeal intend to say "Use our product, and you'll achieve great things." "Use our product, and you'll be the center of attention, the life of the party (the most interesting man in the world.)" These claims are never explicitly made, due to their obviously untrue nature, but the implication is quite intentionally there. With this in mind, the Most Interesting Man in the World is practically the textbook example of the appeal. The idea is simple: drink Dos Equis, and you can be like him. Sure, you'll never live up to all his outrageous achievements, but by drinking his brand of beer, a small part of you is the most interesting man in the world. Against this, what do other beers even have to offer? The character himself essentially exemplifies this appeal. And, given the success of the ads, it would seem the appeal has been quite successful.

The image used in this post can be found here:
http://thewifehatessports.com/2010/07/the-dos-equis-spin-the-most-insert-word-men-in-the-college-football-world/

Really, all the people behind this campaign did was lift the tired Chuck Norris meme from the internet, and apply a different coat of paint to it. It's effective, but not as original as some would like to believe.