Maxine post 1

Part I

The first image is a Proactiv advertisement featuring one of the company’s many celebrity clients, Jessica Simpson. The ad represents foremost a happy customer’s smiling face next to a superimposed set of the products. The ad would not be nearly so effective, however if the happy customer were just any client, the fact that it is a celebrity portrays the line of acne-clearing facial cleansers as a hot commodity among people who hold high status in our society. Many people in Proactiv’s target market admire celebrities such as Simpson. They attempt to make the ad seem even more genuine by including a quote by the singer/ actress and her signature. The truth is that Proactiv is an acne product that has many ingredients in common with other acne products on the market, Proactiv however, has a more notable consumer base.

For the second image I’ve chose the iPod commercials and ads that can be seen all over TV, Time Square, and just about everywhere else you look. These advertisements feature the silhouettes of average people listening to their iPods and, quite literally, moving to their own beats. These individuals are faceless and are dancing in front of vibrantly colored backgrounds of no where in particular, representing the fact that the listener could be anyone, in any place, it is never inappropriate to burst out in self expression in these commercials. These silhouettes, dancing in a world of their own, are cut off from the rest of the world, always represented alone, but not in a negative light. The truth of the matter is that listening to an iPod is a very independent activity, and enjoying your own private soundtrack does occasionally make you feel like dancing, however, despite the representation of the commercials, it is not always appropriate.

In the third image a young couple is represented, we are to assume they are about to kiss. Because both are in pajamas, and there is a bright light in the bathroom they are standing in we are also to assume it is morning. The color scheme is all tones of blue and white except for the orange bottle of citrus Listerine. The intense contrast in color represents the power of Listerine, which will seemingly overcome the very potent, much hated “morning breath.” The audience can tell that this is most likely a set, the photo could have been shot at any time of day, the actors probably aren’t a couple and most likely did not just wake up. Even with all this knowledge we are still compelled to try Listerine in hopes that it will do away with our own breath troubles.

My fourth image, found in magazines, on billboards, television commercials, etc. is of Verizon’s network. These images generally do not focus on selling cellular phones, rather, they focus on building a sense of trust and security. The network is represented as a vast group of people who are truly always behind you (literally and figuratively). They are available for support at any time and tend to get you out of sticky situations. In reality, if you buy a Verizon phone by yourself you will turn around and find that you are still alone. Yet many people will still become Verizon customers for this sense of security and safety represented in the ads.

The fifth image is from an orange juice company, Florida’s Natural. This company emphasizes freshness and so they present the audience with the juice carton passing from the grove straight to the customer. To make the image more valid the advertisers show one hand gloved, as though this were the hand of the individual who just picked the fruit, passing the juice to another hand, this one of a woman, presumably doing her food shopping. We can make out orange trees in the blurry background and understand that the juice came from those oranges. In truth we understand that the juice will undergo processing before it reaches consumers and that there is no orange grove behind the refrigerated shelves of our supermarket.

Semiotic Analysis
Image 1- (Proactiv ad) The signifier is the celebrity, Jessica Simpson. What is signified by her appearance in this ad is that Proactiv has appeal to stars that we should aspire to resemble, if we want to fit into this image of perfection, we ought to buy Proactiv and clear up our skin, and as the television commercials remind us, we do want to fit in.
Image 2-(Verizon ad) The signifier in this ad is the large group of people that make up the network. They signify security; in one ad another provider attempted to acquire customers by also generating a network, but their's was only an illusion, made of cardboard cut outs, not sturdy like Verizon's. The basic idea is that we all need someone to depend on, and Verizon is the largest and strongest, so we should depend on them.

High Art vs. Low Art
High Art-A primary example of high art would be Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel masterpiece. Anyone who has seen this work of art first hand cannot help but marvel at its originality, and the vision and talent that went into such a project. It would be considered high art because there is no doubt as to the authenticity of the work, and the history behind how it was created intrigues all who see it.
Low Art- An example of low art would be the t-shirt or mug you could buy outside the Vatican with a representation of the Sistine Chapel art. Generally the shirt or mug will not even have the whole painting, just a piece of it (usually the famous hands of God and Adam). These are low art because they display no creativity, nor originality, nor talent.

Part II

I do not think you can classify media as either solely democratic nor solely oppressive. Over the years it has become a combination of the two. To deny that media has the power to be highly democratic is simply absurd. It is through the media that most people in a nation are able to gather a sense of what is going on. Even though some may not be able to afford a television or cable, newspapers are fairly affordable and there is quite a variety available today. Some will report with a liberal slant while others give a more conservative viewpoint. A person who reads both will have a roughly balanced understanding of what is going on in their community. The more informed you are on the issues, the better your decisions will be when it comes time to vote and make your opinions heard.
On the other hand, people do not often want to hear/ read something they disagree with and in these situations, when they only follow media that goes along with their ideals they will receive biased information. These examples pertain mainly to US citizens who benefit from living in a democracy with freedom of the press, however, in other parts of the world, media can be strictly controlled. In these places, media often becomes oppressive. Often, dictators will control television and radio programming, as well as what is printed in newspapers to promote their own propaganda. Under these circumstances i feel that the media can have a very negative effect.
Usually when something has as much power as the media it can go either way depending on who holds and manipulates the power.