Television, like most inventions,
began in a time of male dominance. Male news anchors, producers, writers, and
actors filled our TV schedule from sun up to late night. From its early start,
television focused on the uses and gratification theory; why did people watch
this TV show and what are they getting out of it? In some of today’s most
popular shows; however, women do the main roles not only on camera but also
behind the scenes. These women are beginning to run television and shape the
themes and topics our audiences will grasp.
In Baran and Davis’ ninth chapter,
they mention active-audience theories as a way to focus on what people are
doing with the media they intake. Today, one of the easiest way to observe this
theory is through social media networks, namely Twitter. Thousands of users
will tweet about the shows they watch as a way to connect with fellow viewers,
get their points across in public, and reaffirm their views. For those doing
research on these active-audience theories, they simply have to search a hash
tag for any popular show. An article on VideoMind states that in the 2011-2012
season, the shows most tweeted about were Glee, American Idol, Pretty Little
Liars, and Love and Hip Hop; all shows whose main audience is women in their
teens or 20s. These are not the most watched shows, according to the Neilsen’s
“Tops of 2012” article, where it breaks down the most watched primetime shows
in 2012 season. So why are these shows the ones with the most communication? It
is because the audience watching is more likely to tweet or post their feelings
about the episodes or because these shows are aligning with society and
bringing up current issues that lead to open communication between people?
The most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly had a segment on
“The Women Who Run TV” after a Golden Globes season that honored the amazing
work of several bright female actresses. EW chose to highlight some of them and
their writers to see their feelings on having a strong presence on the TV
screen. Claire Danes, Emmy winner for her role in Homeland was quoted for her thoughts on the hit winning show’s
writing. After a few episodes into the series, the writers felt that they
needed a female’s perspective to better illustrate the main character’s
persona. Meredith Stiehm was selected and already came into the group with
similarities towards the female lead; they both work in male dominated fields
(Stiehm is Showtime network’s sole female writer and Danes’ character works in
the CIA) and both have experience with bipolar disorder (Stiehm’s sister
suffers with the disease as does Danes’ character). When asked about having a
female writer on staff, Danes replied, “She’s really
incredible. Her voice is so distinctive and so honest and funny. She has a very
wry sensibility that’s so in keeping with who Carrie is. But she also is
very warm and feeling and all of that translates into all her work. I owe an
enormous amount to Meredith”.
In the textbook, the
authors discussed a study done by Janice Radway in 1984 that conducted a study
on women’s reactions to romance novels. Radway argues that these plots are
based off of “patriarchal myths in which a male-dominated social order is
assumed to be both natural and just…women must gain their identity through
their association with a male character.” (260) Today, most women would agree
that they do not live in a world where the males in their life identify them. I
see Radway’s statement as the men playing the role of an influencer or a role
model and that some women today are still looking for those roles but in
different places. Lena Dunham has created a natural and just portrayal of
everyday women who can fill the role of an influencer. Her award-winning show, Girls, follows a small group of
twenty-somethings living in New York City trying to find themselves and their
future. The show’s openness and authenticity is what is attracting viewers,
causing them to comment and communicate their reactions not only with one
another but also with their social media friends. With role models such as Tina
Fey and Amy Poehler, Dunham’s comedic genius is new age and extremely
relatable; she has also been referred as “today’s Woody Allen” for her work on
screen.
With today’s
generation and future generations to come, it is essential that artists use
television as a way to relay messages. Using the old motto, “If you can’t beat ‘em,
join ‘em”, women are using this media outlet to show the endless possibilities
that one can achieve. With its current success, I feel as though shows with
strong females both on and off screen will be the ones to prevail for years to
come.
Works Cited
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass
Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth ed. Boston, MA:
Wadsworth Pub., 2012. Print.
Dowling, Eleanor. "Key Trends from the 2012
Social TV Season รข€“ INFOGRAPHIC."VideoMind. VideoMind,
11 June 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
Stack, Tim. "The Women Who Run TV:
'Homeland' Writer Meredith Stiehm on Claire Danes, New FX Pilot." EW.com.
Enterainment Weekly, 4 Feb. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
Staff, EW. "This Week's Cover: Lena Dunham,
the Beautiful (and Dirty) Mind behind 'Girls'" EW.com.
Enterainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
Stephanie Griffin
ReplyDeleteDJ,
This was a very interesting topic to discuss regarding today’s television industry. I have noticed overtime more women have become involved in television than ever before. Considering this, I feel the role of women in television has certainly adapted to our changes in society. For instance, consider the classic sitcom, I Love Lucy. Lucille Ball’s character was looked as a housewife and mother, but also could be silly too. Yet, as Amy Bolick discussed in her article, "The Roles of Women on Television, Then And Now,”
“They play the roles of working single mothers, judges, police officers, nurses etc. One example is the show called “Judging Amy” (1999-2005). This show was about a mother who was a family court judge who lived with her mom and her daughter. There is a gigantic difference in the roles of the two mothers on I Love Lucy and Judging Amy” (Bolick).
In other words, since more companies are hiring women as not only actors but writers and producers, women are now being portrayed in a various amount of roles relating to today’s women. Although some may argue that television shows do not fully portray a correct sense of reality, it is at least a positive aspect to see more women behind the screen playing roles of doctors, lawyers, and mothers.
Griffin- Part 2
ReplyDeleteYou also bring up another great perspective regarding certain shows that target young female audiences. Most shows I can remember from the beginnings of television seemed more targeted for both men and women, or even entire families, since most broadcasting companies relied on their viewership of the most public to continue their business. Yet, overtime, not only do we see a change in the types of shows being made, but also more shows are adapting to current society. For instance, one of today’s popular shows, Modern Family, helps represent different types of families that exist in today’s society. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that overtime, more shows have been written and produced to target specific demographics. Therefore, we have the shows like Glee and Pretty Little Liars that attract young female audiences. This idea thus relates to the active-audiences of today’s society. As you, along with Baran and Davis mention, in today’s society, we are now using media more than ever before to engage with other forms of media. As Baran and Davis note, “It’s important to remember that our personal uses of media are never unique to ourselves-thousands and often millions of other people engage in the same activities-often at the same time” (Baran and Davis 242). With this active-audience theory, researchers analyze what people are doing with the media. One example, as you noted, is Twitter. More shows are now offering a hash tag to be shown at the bottom of your television screen during a show so people can engage in conversation about it on Twitter- this is genius! Specifically with the young female generation, I feel as one myself, we are certainly likely to be engaged on Twitter during one of our favorite shows. Brad Adgate is quoted in the article, “Twitter and Nielsen pair up to public new ‘social TV’ ratings” saying, “It lets producers and creative directors know if the storyline is working, like a huge focus group…but I don’t think you can translate comments to ratings for a show” (Shih). Although his point is valid, social media is now becoming a platform for individuals to talk about shows, during shows, before and even after shows. Television shows today are making the right move to allow its audiences to engage in conversation by connecting the relationship of these shows to the ways we use media more than ever before.
Works Cited
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012. Print.
Bolick, Amy. "The Roles of Women on Television, Then And Now." Cunysps.wordpress.com. N.p., 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
Shih, Gerry. "Twitter and Nielsen Pair up to Publish New "social TV" Ratings." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
DJ,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog post, I found researching the active-audience theories in this week’s chapter to be very interesting. You posed the question asking why the most tweeted about shows were not the most watched shows, according to Neilson’s “Tops of 2012” article. I believe the answer to that question ties directly into the other topic you discussed about the rise of female roles in Primetime.
The Neilson “Tops of 2012” article published a list of the top ten TV programs of 2012. Out of the top ten programs, the top eight were related to football, the Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony was ninth, and the GRAMMY Awards came in tenth. That means that nine out of the ten most watched programs in 2012 were related to sports, and only one was related to something else. In your blog post, you made a point to say that the top tweeted about shows of 2011-2012 were Glee, American Idol, Pretty Little Liars, and Love and Hip Hop. If you were to stereotype the audience types for each of these programs, most people would find that women would be more likely to watch shows like Glee, American Idol, and Pretty Little Liars, while men would typically be more likely to watch football or other sporting events. Though you talked about female directors and actresses in your post, female audience roles also have a profound effect in Primetime TV.
As we discussed in class, most people see using social media sites like Twitter and Instagram to be something that women are more likely to do than men. Though this is changing and more and more men are using social media networks, based on the previous information, it makes sense that the shows that would be watched by more women would be tweeted about more. Baran and Davis talk about active audiences in chapter nine of their book and distinguish the difference between “activity” and “activeness”. “Activity” is what the audience does, and “activeness” is the audience’s freedom and autonomy in the mass communication situation (Baran and Davis, 253). They go on to explain that “activeness” comes in two forms, active and passive users. Based on all of this information, it would seem as though men are more passive users and women are more active when it comes to watching TV shows and tweeting about them.
The one thing that doesn’t make sense to me is that the Superbowl is not one of the most tweeted about programs. Though many men and women watch sports on TV on a regular basis, the turnout for the Superbowl makes it the most watched TV program every year. Even if people aren’t really concerned with the game and are only watching it to see the halftime performance or commercials, you would think that the amount of opinions and controversies would cause people to tweet or post images and stories on other social media sites. However, this is being based off of last year’s ratings and Twitter is becoming more and more popular every year. It will be very interesting to see the change in the most watched shows in comparison to the most tweeted about shows not only this year, but in years to come as social media becomes more prominent in everyday life, and all shows start incorporating it into their programs.
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012. Print.
Nielsen. Nielsen Tops of 2012 : Television. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
Raquel Doering
ReplyDeleteDJ,
I found your blog post to be very interesting and enjoyable. I agree that television was born in a time of male dominance, and women were not prevalent in its early years. However, the culture of the television has evolved; we see women in all parts of the industry and a large increase in audiences’ activeness, which is predominately displayed through social networking sites, such as Twitter.
You posed an interesting question, which asked why shows, whose main audience consists of teens and women in their twenties, are the shows with the most communication but not the most watched primetime shows according to Nielson’s “Tops of 2012” article. I think a possible answer can be reached through the uses-and-gratification model. According the Baran and Davis, activeness refers to “the audience’s freedom and autonomy in the mass communication situation” (Baran and Davis 253). Two of the five basic assumptions of the model relate to your question: “the audience is active and its media use is goal-oriented” and “the initiative in linking need gratification to a specific media choice rests with the audience member” (253). First, the audience must want to watch the specific television show. Hence, teens and women in their twenties want to and are watching shows, such as Glee, American Idol, Pretty Little Liars, and Love and Hip Hop. As Baran and Davis explain, “various audience members bring various levels of activity to their consumption” (253). Teens and women in their twenties are some of the most predominate users of social media sites, such as Twitter, and are both eager and willing to Tweet about their feelings regarding the shows they are watching.
Raquel Doering (continued)
ReplyDeleteAs a result, we have come a long way from Radway’s conclusion, which states, “Men are routinely presented as strong, aggressive, and heroic, whereas women are weak, passive, and dependent. Women must gain their identity through their association with a male character” (Baran and Davis 260). I think your mention of Lena Dunham’s Girls, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler expresses the evolution perfectly. Women currently play strong roles in the television industry as producers and creators, as the main characters, and as members of an active audience.
Not only can Tweeting about television shows assist with doing research on active-audience theories, as you mentioned, but it can assist with creating television ratings. According to Shih, Nielson will partner with Twitter “to publish a new set of ratings that measure chatter on Twitter about TV programming (Shih). Although Tweets cannot be the sole measure of TV ratings, I think this partnership is a great addition to the traditional Nielson rating methods. The new ratings will “measure the number of people discussing a show on Twitter, as well as those who are exposed to the chatter, to provide the ‘precise size of the audience and effect of social TV to TV programming’” (Shih). The measurements will illustrate a show’s popularity, “let producers and creative directors know if the storyline is working,” and alert advertisers to shows that attract a “high level of social media engagement from viewers” (Shih).
Thus, television and its industry have experienced many changes since its creation into a male dominated society. Currently, women are in power positions both in production and on the set. Also, women are at the front of today’s active audience culture by using social media, such as Twitter, to express their feelings and opinions about the shows they choose to watch. Nielson decided to partner with Twitter in order to turn this trend into a useful rating system for network owners, producers and creative directors, and advertisers.
Works Cited
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment,
and Future, 6th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. Print.
“Nielsen Tops of 2012: Television.” Nielsen.com. The Nielsen Company, 11 Dec. 2012. Web. 19
Feb. 2013.
Shih, Gerry. “Twitter and Nielsen Pair up to Publish New “Social TV” Ratings.” Reuters.com
Thomson Reuters, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
I think the concept that you bring up with women in the television industry is a really interesting point to look at, especially when looking at social media and the rise of social involvement when looking at women run shows. I think that women will always identify with shows that express similar views to their own and because of that, social media will definitely have a bigger impact on shows with women behind them or with a similar niche following.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up the point that television has been extremely male dominated since its conception. With women coming on to the scene both in front and behind of the camera as you said there seems to be a big shift in what we see coming from programming. Through this shift we have also seen a very different way of consuming and sharing media. Baron and Davis pointed this out in our chapter 9 reading, “during the past five years, the sharing of digital media content on the Internet has grown exponentially.” (Baron 241) The use of social media is one of the ways that we have been sharing digital media, especially on Twitter. Women and those who are a fan of this new and strong women run programming are going crazy on Twitter among other websites to share their enthusiasm over these new shows. I liked that you brought up Lena Dunham and the show Girls on HBO. I feel like after their big Golden Globes win, social media was completely abuzz about the show and has been after each episode on Sunday nights now that it has a huge audience. Most of the people talking about it are women, especially twenty somethings. I think this is because they finally have 4 strong female characters that are very human and that they can identify with. It’s really a revolutionary program and a much different type of show then we usually see when concerning women.
I think this also put the Radway study a little out of date. While there is still relevance when looking for that influence and role model, it’s shifting to women in a strong role. But I also think that if she were to do the study today that she would find much stronger female roles in romance novels as well. There has been a large shift not only on TV but also in many other forms of media. Most of these strong Hollywood women are also putting out their own books that really showcase their journey in a male dominated world, such as Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.
In conclusion I think that rating things on their social media influence may not be a completely accurate form of rating but a second type that is greatly necessary. I think Internet relevance is becoming a huge part of the television industry and what people are saying is a clear reflection of the viewers. As Gary Shih said in his article
“The new ratings, to be launched next fall, arrive at a moment when media and advertising industry executives say they are observing a shift in TV viewing habits that include the rise of "second screen" use.” (Shih 1)
With these new ratings I think we will really be able to see the effect of this new wave of women and other cultural groups on television and on the Internet.
Works Cited:
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012. Print.
Shih, Gerry. "Twitter and Nielsen Pair up to Publish New "social TV" Ratings." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
DJ,
ReplyDeleteThroughout your blog you mentioned many interesting and disputable aspects of television today, including the rise of females within the television industry. Today we live in a world that stresses, "All men are created equal," however, unfortunately this has not always been the case, and television has played a major role in demonstrating this.
Traditionally, television displayed specific roles for men and women in society, placing women in the home doing busy work while the men were out working.Taking care of the kids, doing the laundry, and cooking dinner have been typical scenes of women in television programs from the beginning. Women were supposed to stay home and do housework, while the strong tough men went out and made the living for the family. Thankfully, gender representation through television has made tremendous strides, and in today’s society, many television programs feature independent, working women, like you have mentioned. In their book, Baran and Davis, discuss the work of researcher Janice Radway, regarding her feminist cultural studies. Radway stated, “Men are routinely presented as strong, aggressive, and heroic, whereas women are weak, passive, and dependent” (Baran and Davis, 260). This was very apparent in the 1950’s classic, I Love Lucy.
When anyone, no matter the age or gender, hears the name, Lucy Ricardo, everyone pictures the face of the naive, yet ambitious, fiery redheaded female of the 1950’s classic comedy, I Love Lucy. Although many people tuned in to watch I Love Lucy for its quirky, comical plots, I Love Lucy was seen as much more than just a comedy; it was a platform that symbolized to many women they had the power to challenge the norm. In a decade when many women felt obligated and trapped to stay in the home, and the glass ceiling was more apparent than ever, I Love Lucy proved that women could do more than just cook and clean. In Andrea Press’s article, “Gender and Family in Television and Beyond,” she addresses many of the themes of women’s rebellion she found in this early situated comedy, along with other comedies of the time, such as, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, and I Married Joan. She states,“These shows ironically featured strong and memorable women actresses playing housewives who did not work outside the home, although their roles featured elements of rebellion toward the domestic sphere” (“Gender and Family in Television and Beyond”).
Today, television has come a long way, as you have proposed, and primetime television now features TV shows with strong, independent, and free women. A perfect example being the new and racy TV show, Girls, as you have noted. I also agree with you, that because of this more natural portrayal of women in today’s society, this does attract new viewers and gets the “buzz” started on social media sites. I think female viewers find this portrayal of women much more relatable than portrayals of women in the 1950‘s, as I have described, and that way, women today feel more open to discussing their thoughts and opinions, even tweeting about it. Twitter, as we have all witnessed, has rapidly become one of the main sources for entertainment chatter, and that is why I believe it is a smart idea for Nielsen Holdings NV, to partner with this new dominating social media site.
ReplyDeleteAs Gerry Shih described in his article, “Twitter and Nielsen pair up to publish new “social TV” ratings,” these two companies will come together to publish a new set of ratings that measure chatter on Twitter about TV programming. Shih states one of Nielson’s optimistic quotes about this new and upcoming project, stating, “The new ratings will measure the number of people discussing a show on Twitter, as well as those who are exposed to the chatter, to provide the, “precise size of the audience and effect of social TV to TV programming.”
Television, through all of its different forms and genres, and now Twitter, have managed to capture the changing roles of women, along with the changing ways of chatting about television, throughout time.
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012. Print.
Press, Andrea. “Gender and Family in Television’s Golden Age and Beyond.” The ANNALS of
the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Sage Publications. September 2009. Vol.
625, No. 1, pp. 139-150.
Shih, Gerry. "Twitter and Nielsen Pair up to Publish New "social TV" Ratings." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
DJ,
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts on active-audience theories are intriguing. Young women tend to use social media like Twitter more frequently than older age groups which results in a select group of television shows trending even though ratings do not reflect them as the most popular overall with national audiences. A large group of active users of social media, especially Twitter, are in a younger age demographic. Because of this, they control the conversation and interaction concerning television so the favorites of the age group would appear more popular than other shows despite them being widely accepted in other age ranges.
As social media becomes more engrained in our culture we can expect tweeting will become more common among other age groups as well and then will be an appropriate gauge of audience’s media consumption. Mentioned in the article “Twitter and Nielsen pair up to publish new "social TV" ratings”, there is a need for a common benchmark to determine audiences’ engagement. Twitter intends to fulfill that need. However, like Brad Adgate, a Horizon Media analyst said, “But I don't think you can translate comments to ratings for a show. Right now I think the bark right now is bigger than its bite.” Essentially, tweets cannot directly relate to ratings in this point in time because there is too much of a demographic factor. All those who are viewing television shows are tweeting. As the text notes, “Functionalism is not concerned with individuals; it’s concerned with overall functions for society that are served by mass media” (Baran, 248). From this theory and the current skewed demographic tweeting a large portion of the discourse about television, active audiences on Twitter cannot yet determine accurately what television shows are most popular or what have created the most interesting conversation.
Active audience theory suggests that individuals’ media use is goal-oriented. In the article you cited about women finding a connection with the male role in a romance novel shows how the demographic responds to receiving gratification of an acceptable male character. They end up revering the book and are more open to discuss when they have read because they achieved the goal of connecting with the character and now they can use this information to connect with others who felt similar about the character. I agree with your point when you applied this idea to television. People relate to characters and feel satisfaction for finding something redeeming and relatable in a character.
The text notes that through media consumption, we ease social situations. We use media to create conversation and open dialogue. It can also create social pressures like young girls viewing underweight models or characters struggling with body image (Baran, 254). This is important because it shows that not only does the audience create the conversation, media creates the topics. Television shows give a point at which people jump off of and discuss simply an amusing scene or become aware of social issue, or create a social tension by making an individual feel different than the rest of society because they cannot identify with a character. Since young women control much of the conversation on Twitter, the media that will trend will be television shows that they feel they can find a character they can relate to, such as the protagonist in Pretty Little Liars.
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012. Print.
Shih, Gerry. "Twitter and Nielsen Pair up to Publish New "social TV" Ratings." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
DJ,
ReplyDeleteYou present an intriguing perspective on active-audience theory. The information you provided of the top shows tweeted about was fascinating. As you and others have commented on the top shows, which were Glee, American Idol, Pretty Little Liars and Love and Hip Hop typically have a female dominated audience. The audience usually sways younger, as well, with teenagers and those into their twenties. You bring up the question of if this audience is more likely to tweet or post on another social site about their viewing habits. I would like to believe that it is true that this audience is more likely to post about what they are watching. Baron and Davis discuss Katz's, Blumer's and Gurevitch's media uses and gratification perspectives based on social situations. One of these uses/gratifications is outlined is, "social situations can provide realms of expectations of familiarity with media, which must be met to sustain membership in specific social groups" (Baran, 255). In regards to your question, females may often be more active on social media about their television viewing because they are showing they are keeping up with what's cool and trendy in their social group. If another member of the social group is looking to verify that another member is truly watching Pretty Little Liars she can just check the girl's Twitter to see her reaction to the latest text A has sent the girls on Pretty Little Liars. Social media also provides another platform for these girls to openly communicate what they are watching and with who they are watching it. For example, a girl can tag her friends' Twitter handles and say something like, "Our jaws are dropping at what just happened on Pretty Little Liars". Social media is becoming another way that teenagers and young adults alike can express what social group they belong to, as well as showcase that they are meeting expectations in that group.
It is interesting that American Idol was the only show that was most tweeted about, as well as in the Top Ten Primetime TV Programs of 2012 in Nielsen ratings. It was respectively ranked at number two and three (Nielsen). I believe that part of the reason why American Idol is so popular has to do with another social situation use/gratification which states, "Social situations often elicit specific values, and their affirmation and reinforcement can be facilitated by the consumption of media related materials" (Baran, 255). American Idol is a show that reinforces the American Dream-like notion that if you work hard, believe in yourself and never give up, your dreams can come true. Its popularity could have to do with the fact that it is providing an outlet that can reaffirm these thoughts about America and its values. This notion of the American Dream can also relate to the tweeting audience of American Idol. If we assumed that the audience tweeting is mostly young females, it demonstrates that the American Dream is something they value. While Twitter can be used to see how people are reacting to television, it can also reveal different social aspects of our culture.
Baran, Stanely J., Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth Ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012, Print.
Nielsen. Neilsen Tops of 2012: Television. 2012. Web. Feb. 19 2013.
Dj,
ReplyDeleteI found your views on women in television programs and their influence on viewers to be very intriguing as it is something I have never thought of. I agree with the active-audience theory, which is mentioned in chapter nine of Baran and Davis’ textbook. The theory interested me because I never had explored the options of what people are actually doing with the media which they intake. I personally know that when I see a ‘hash tag’ in the bottom corner of the TV during a program I will be more inclined to tweet or express my views on the television show. I think that those efforts with the ‘hash tag’ and other social media attempts television shows are making is properly connecting viewers in a new successful way. Television characters may even have their own Twitter or social media accounts based on their television character which is always a great ploy to attract the viewers. I agree with you that social media has been successful to connect with fellow viewers, get their points across in public, and reaffirm their views.
You posed the following question in your blog post after explaining that Glee, American Idol, Pretty Little Liars, and Love and Hip Hop are the most ‘tweeted’ about show: So why are these shows the ones with the most communication? It is because the audience watching is more likely to tweet or post their feelings about the episodes or because these shows are aligning with society and bringing up current issues that lead to open communication between people? I like to think that these shows have the most communication or traffic on social media for two reasons. First their audience is the prime demographic for social media usage. Teenagers and 20-year-old’s are attached to their phones and have grown up with social media. Tweeting and discussing shows like Pretty Little Liars is just a part of their daily life. Second, the shows know what they are doing and they have the right idea incorporating hash tags and twitter marketing tools in their show. Girls, especially, has done a great job on twitter and I have experience this first hand. Although I personally have not tweeted during an episode of girls I know my friends have used the hash tags and started a conversation with the twitter community all with a simple symbol, the hash tag.
It is unbelievable to think about where we were just a few decades ago when mobile technology was not in the hands of everyone we know. Conversations were not on Twitter or Facebook but they were happening in person. As Michael Curtin writes in On Edge: Culture industries in the Neo-Network Era, “On some level, almost every major issue of the sixties revolved around questions of televisual representation. Americans watched and argued about what was on; even if they weren't watching, they were arguing about what was on, or what wasn't “ (277). Curtin explains that even when American were not watching a program they were arguing about it, which is still true to this day. The televisual representation Curtin also mentions is something we may lose sight of when we are constantly surrounded by online twitter conversations based on the television content in front of us. Television shows in the sixties as well as today struggle with portraying their characters in a way that is accurately representing women who girls of today can look up to or relate. I think that the characters of Pretty Little Liars are relatable to young girls but the situations the characters are placed in are very unrealistic. I find it really interesting that in the sixties and today conversation surrounding content of television shows has occurred just using different mediums (in person conversations vs. social media).
Works Cited
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012. Print.
Curtin, Michael, ON EDGE: Culture Industries in the Neo-Network Era Michael Curtin, Print.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDJ,
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that you looked at the shift from male dominance to female dominance in Television, especially in relation to females as an active audience. As Baran and Davis explain, the active audience theories “do not attempt to understand what the media do to people but, rather, focus on assessing what people do with media.” (Baran 242) You mentioned that some of the top tweeted about shows in the 2011-2012 season were Glee and Pretty Little Liars. Pretty Little Liars is one show that encourages an active audience by putting hashtags that relate to a scene in the show on the corner of the screen. For example in last week’s episode some hashtags they put on the screen were “#SpencerSnapped” and “#TheWrongFitz” and these soon becoming trending topics as those watching found it easy to go on twitter and talk about what had just happened using the given hashtags. This further proves Baran and Davis’ stance on active audiences because viewers chose to use the hashtags given to them and then formulate their own opinions about what just occurred on their social media sites.
Baran and Davis also state that “people [are] protected from manipulation by opinion leaders and their own well-formed intensely held attitudes.” (Baran 241) I think this especially relates to female viewers who tend to gossip about shows on Twitter and look for humorous or analytic tweets to retweet from others. For example, often the actors in a TV show or those somehow connected to the TV show either by being a past participant or being the writer of the show, live tweet their opinions, thus becoming opinion leaders. The Bachelor, which has a mostly female audience, is tweeted about by the current bachelor, Sean Lowe, as well as past bachelorettes such as Ali Fedotowsky. Many avid Bachelor fans follow their tweets to help form their opinions of the contestants. Another point Baran and Davis make relating to this is that “Social situations can provide realms of expectations of familiarity with media, which must be met to sustain membership in specific social groups.” (Baran 255) This relates to females tendency to gossip about shows and the inclination for groups of friends to all watch the same TV show so they feel included and not left out in conversation.
Furthermore, I think it is interesting that Twitter and Neilson are pairing up to find “social TV ratings” to determine the popularity of a show, as discussed in Gerry Shih’s article. I’m curious to see how effective this system will be because sometimes the chat on Twitter about a show may not be positive. For example when males see females talking about shows like Pretty Little Liars on Twitter they might mock them using “#PLL” even though they are not watching the show nor do they have any desire to. During last week’s Pretty Little Liar’s episode much of my Twitter feed actually poked fun at the hashtags the show offered instead of using them to provoke conversation. In turn, I agree with Brad Agate’s opinion of the matter - the twitter ratings should be used as a kind of focus group for the producers and creative directors – not a measure of who watches the show.
Baran, Stanely J., Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth Ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012, Print.
Shih, Gerry. "Twitter and Nielsen Pair up to Publish New "social TV" Ratings." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
Dj, your point of view about women in television programs and their influence on viewers is very interesting, I’ve never given this topic much thought in the past. The active audience theory that baron and Davis talk about in chapter 9 makes a lot of sense to me. I find the theory to be very surprising because I never thought about what people do with the media that they are digesting. The rise of twitter is one of the most profound adaption’s I’ve seen in a long time. most channels you watch now have at some point a advertisement that includes a hash tag. This doesn’t make me more or less likely to watch or follow up on the product, just surprises me how we have accepted the social media mogul into our everyday lives. I don’t believe that the hash tags is bringing the televisions watching community together, but it definitely gives them something to talk about or someone to talk to when the show is over. Social media however has been successful in bringing the viewers closer to the show and the characters.
ReplyDeleteGlee, American idol, love and hip hop and pretty little liars are the most tweeted about shows on the “twitterverse”. These shows are more tweeted about because they tend to pull emotions out of the viewers. I’ve seen many episodes of American idol and have had the urge to tweet about some of the awful performances I saw. These shows bring the viewers closer to the subjects and twitter is an outlet for us to talk about what we see and feel. Moving past the type of show they are we can closer examine the demographics of these shows. Most twitter users are below the age of 30, so it wouldn’t make sense that a serious channel or show isn’t talked about as much. Teenagers and younger adults are constantly on their phones throughout the day on social media so why would it be different when watching tv. The shows themselves have done a amazing job evolving the ads and tactics to keep viewers interested with live voting and tweets that scroll on the bottom of the page. This makes someone who might not care about the show tweet, just to hopefully have their twitter on tv. I haven’t tweeted about any of these shows but I always give a shout out to Stephen a smith on first take, one because he is the man and two because I hope to see my twitter account on tv.
The advance of technology is astonishing, only to be rivaled by the cunning and expertise of marketing experts to take what we have now and apply it to their products. We went from 5 point cell phones and computers that filled up entire rooms to a smart phone weighing less than 10 ounces and a laptop that is thinner than most dinner plates. Social media has given way to the virtual or cyber connection, we no longer find it necessary to talk to people face to face. Michael Curtin writes in On Edge: Culture industries in the Neo-Network Era, “On some level, almost every major issue of the sixties revolved around questions of televisual representation. Americans watched and argued about what was on; even if they weren't watching, they were arguing about what was on, or what wasn't “ (277). This is a perfect quote to show that we as a society haven’t changed much at all. We still watch tv and argue or discuss what we have seen. 25 years ago however you would have had to call someone on the phone or wait until you saw them the next day to talk about what you have seen. We are in the time of instant connection, we want to express our opinions now, and to everyone we want at the same time. Curtin brings up a great point of how shows today and back in the 60 had a very tough time portraying women. This issue hasn’t gone anywhere in the last 50 years. We still see women inaccurately portrayed on television. Being 2013 most of society isn’t ignorant enough to believe that women haven’t made enormous strides when it comes to the hierarchy of society, but we still see them objectified in many shows. The rise of social media has only given people more outlets to perpetuate these views and have them sink into the minds of the upcoming generation.
Curtin, Michael, ON EDGE: Culture Industries in the Neo-Network Era Michael Curtin, Print.
ReplyDeleteBaran, Stanely J., Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth Ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012, Print.
(Sara Gentilozzi)
ReplyDeleteDJ,
I found this to be an interesting topic since just yesterday we discussed in my MSS 420 class that the radio is currently seen as a male dominated form of media because of talk shows and sports casts. I do agree that males dominated the television scene in the beginning. Men most likely did not believe that women were good enough to be in such a high profile career. I have noticed in today’s time it is much more common to see women on screen playing lead roles, as well as playing a part behind the scenes. I think over time our society has changed the way women are portrayed in the media.
I found the active-audience theories to be a different way to think about media. These theories are centered towards audience perspective. You discussed the uses-and-gratifications approach, which Baran and Davis defined as, “an approach to media study focusing on the uses to which people put media and the gratifications they seek from those uses” (245). This theory allows one to see why people view their media of choice. You also stated that people now could see why one views their media outlets by looking at Twitter. When you discussed that the most tweeted about shows were Glee, American Idol, Pretty Little Liars, and Love and Hip Hop, I was not so surprised. Being a 21-year-old woman myself, I know first hand we love to tweet during our favorite shows. Almost every TV show now has a hash tag in the corner of the screen so their viewers can go on to Twitter and discuss the events going on with others. This is a way for the audience to engage and feel apart of the show. As I stated last class, I feel more women than men are more likely to go onto Twitter or Instagram. I think it is fair to say women dominant social media.
You also discussed according to Nielsen’s, "Tops of 2012:Television" article the shows that were statistically most watched were none of the shows that had the most tweets. The first eight shows are mostly football related which are going to have a predominately male audience (Nielsen 1). The Summer Olympics came in at number 9, which is still sports related but also seen as entertainment (1). Most people who may not even be into sports will turn on the Olympics to support their country. The number 10 show was the Grammy Awards, which some would say is probably a female dominated audience but there are plenty of men who would watch that show as well (1). All of those above shows are programs of a single telecast.
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ReplyDelete(Sara Gentilozzi Cont'd)
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the second chart on the article, those shows are all prime time and regularly scheduled. Some of these shows include: The Voice, Dancing with the Stars, and American Idol (1). These are the types of shows that get tweeted about often because they have a predominately female audience. To answer your question as to why these shows are the ones with the most communication, I think it is safe to make a connection that women enjoy tweeting about their shows often because they like to watch a series on television. Men prefer to watch one single telecast that is often a grand program, like the Super Bowl. The book states, “Men are routinely presented as strong, aggressive, and heroic, whereas women are weak, passive, and dependent. Women must gain their identity through their association with a male character” (Baran and Davis 260). This is not how our television shows are portrayed today. I believe the use of social media has allowed the audience to let their voice be heard about what they want to see on television, for example women playing a stronger role. I think social media forums like Twitter are a great way to assist the producers and writers to help create new television shows for what the public want to see, or as a way to improve ratings.
Twitter pairing up with Nielsen to get a new perspective on television ratings is a very smart decision. The article "Twitter and Nielsen pair up to publish new 'social TV' ratings" stated, “The new measurement, dubbed the “Nielsen Twitter TV Rating," seeks to tap into the stream of viewer commentary and armchair musings generated on "second screens" - the smart phones and tablets perched on Twitter users' laps while they watch, say, Monday Night Football or the latest episode of "Homeland" on their TVs.” This will allow Nielsen to get a more accurate feel on what shows the people are talking about. The two working together will create a successful way to continue to give society what they want as far as television programming.
Works Cited
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012. Print.
Nielsen. Nielsen Tops of 2012 : Television. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
Shih, Gerry. “Twitter and Nielsen Pair up to Publish New “Social TV” Ratings.” R
Alanna Lawrence
ReplyDeleteDear DJ,
I really commend you on picking such an intriguing topic. This is definitely one of the upcoming rises in social media today especially in the television industry. Women are taking over and that’s something I like to hear! As time goes on women are beginning to have more say and input on what is being viewed and how it is produced. It is so funny to see how times have changed. Women have evolved in becoming powerful leaders, activists and not just your ordinary stay at home mom. In this new generation the roles of women have significantly changed and are starting to catch up with the men. Just thinking back a couple years ago, women hardly had the ability to come forth and speak their mind. Now in the television industry women are constantly being asked for their opinions and input. This relates back to what you said about the writers in “Homeland” wanting a female’s perspective to better illustrate the main character’s persona.
With the topic “Rise of Females in Primetime “you really incorporated your knowledge and theories well to back up this concept. According to chapter nine in the Baran and Davis’ textbook, they mention the active- audience theory that sparked an interest in me. The active- audience theory was a way to focus on what people are doing with the media they take in. Sometimes different audiences can understand a media message but will have different responses to it. Either some will accept the message or others will reject it due to personal experiences or beliefs. This concept was something that I didn’t even bother to think about but now that it was brought to my attention it really justified some issues that go on in social networks. For example, having multiple social networks, I have seen so many incidents where people go on rants and arguments with others due to things being viewed like shows, movies, games etc. on social networks.
Twitter is primarily the most popular social network site where people say whatever they want or feel with just 140 characters. When people watch television, in most cases they have another media outlet to discuss what’s happening or going on. In this day and time we are so connected with social media that there is a lot of social multi-tasking occurring. Being said not only do we watch TV, we also Tweet on Twitter, Face book and communicate with others while watching a television production. This concept goes into perspective with the article “Twitter and Nielsen pair up to publish new “social TV” ratings where Nielsen will partner up with the social network Twitter to see any chatter about TV programming. The article goes into further detail about observing a shift in TV viewing habits that include a rise of a “second screen” use. Nowadays people are so connected with their phones and with the advancement of technology, everything is at their fingertips. Consumers of today watch more television than ever in addition to using other media outlets. This causes conflict with individuals discussing certain commentary on shows. But this concept also brings up a lot of pros and cons. Writers and other viewers love to hear what others are thinking about and how they view certain productions while others disagree and go on a rant. This relates me back to the theory of active-audience where you can’t please all viewers. In every show, game, or entertainment there will always be positive and negative feedback. Time is changing and so are our views on the television industry. Women are now putting more of their input in production which can sway viewers to their perspective.
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Sixth ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub., 2012. Print.
Shih, Gerry. "Twitter and Nielsen Pair up to Publish New "social TV" Ratings." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.