Jensen Supplemental 4

    Alright, let's keep these critical juices flowing here with:

ROUND 2: GAME OF THRONES' FALL FROM GRACE

    This post's hitting me right in the feels, as it's hard to talk about a show that wasted five years of my life, but I'll do my best.

    Like many unfortunate souls, I fell hard for HBO's Game of Thrones series. I caught up halfway through season 4, read most of the books, and did my time lurking through the depths of the Internet to try and find out any hints or spoilers relating to the ultimate conclusion. It was a long and arduous road, yet I still stood by when things began to head downhill. I recall even defending certain moments in the show which, when I look back now in retrospect, I am ashamed of. How... how could something which so enamored the general population go from being the biggest show on television to a social taboo to even speak of?

    The most glaring downfall of the later seasons of GoT is the writing. As is commonly known, the author of the series George R.R. Martin, had only completed four of the books by the time the show reached the end of season 4. This caused the creators of the show (I will not deign to name them) to fly by the seat of their pants and begin writing the story on their own around season 5. I know, "the author is dead" and all that, but it extremely difficult for two writers to take over a series consisting of characters and plot lines developed by the original author over the course of decades and attempt to keep things up to the standards. It was an impossible task with a predictable outcome, which was only made worse through the actions of my second point...

    Social media. The ultimate hype-beast. Once the show gained its immense popularity, things were in motion that could not be undone. The quantity of content present on the Internet relating to the show was incalculable, from advertisements and special features to fan theories and memes. The show created its own hype-bubble and essentially doomed itself, for how could it live up to the standards the Internet had set for it? No amount of money, writing teams, special effects, or acting skill could satisfy the hungry beast of social media, which was ultimately left starving after season 8, episode 6. 

    But don't worry, the show made SO MUCH money that the entertainment industry will continue to create GoT-centered content and torture the injured beast until it succumbs. Who's excited for House of the Dragon?!

Jensen Supplemental 3

    All right everybody, buckle up for some rapid-fire television theory related supplemental blog posts brought to you by none other than Kevin, "The Procrastinator", Jensen.

ROUND 1: SPONGEBOB AND THE INTERNET

    Yup, starting off strong with some Spongebob analysis. 

    As anyone who is familiar with the meme-laden environment of social media would notice, the sheer quantity of Spongebob Squarepants related memes is overwhelming. Everywhere you look, from Instagram to Reddit, images and jokes featuring everyone's favorite amphimedon can be found. I believe this phenomenon can be traced to both the demographic of individuals creating the content and the nature of the show itself. 

    Spongebob Squarepants first aired in the late 1990s and continued to run well into the late 2010s, making it one of the longest running American animated children's television programs ever made. The show was extremely successful, producing many feature length films, videogames, and other forms of popular merchandise. Due to its popularity through the 2000s, it is no wonder that many of those who regularly use the internet as content creators in the 2010s and 2020s can relate to the jokes and characters featured in the show. These individuals grew up watching the series, which featured over 250 episodes allowing for plenty of comedic content to be repurposed inside the sarcastic depths of the Internet. 

    Also, the very nature of the show lends itself well to the satirical nature of meme-creation. The show is riddled with adult humor carefully mixed within the child-friendly atmosphere. Many comedic moments would have gone over the heads of the youth audience and yet would have landed with any adult viewers. Therefore, by slicing these more mature moments, meme creators can emphasize the adult humor present in the show and utilize it for their own jokes. 

Supplemental Post #2 - Alexandria

 Using Netflix to cement your musical legacy

Over the past couple years I have noticed this trend of music industry figures taking advantage of the netflix documentary medium in order to cement their musical legacies. Quincy Jones, David Foster, and Clive Davis have all had documentaries about their musical careers premiere on Netflix within the last several years, in which they are either involved in the production or have a heavy hand on how their legacies are represented. Quincy Jones’ project was directed by his daughter Rashida Jones. Each project feels celebratory, smoothing over the parts of their stories that are complicated—like infidelity, any scrupulous business practices, etc. Dolly Parton in particular feels ubiquitous on the platform: with a movie Dumplin’, a documentary Here I Am, a series Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, and a MusiCares Tribute Concert. I assume part of the reason behind all these projects is the need and growing interest for more music related content on the platform. But I think it’s also just a fascinating site for examining legacy making processes for music figures.

Supplemental Response #5: Julia

As a final meditation on this course, I'd like to take a minute to consider my latest TV experience of watching The Legend of Korra for the first time. Let me just start by saying that as much as I loved watching Avatar, Legend of Korra is somehow MUCH BETTER. If there's anything this course has taught me about my own personal TV habits, it's that it is entirely fine to become too attached to television content because it's basically asking me to do that. So let me get into some of the reasons that I think Legend of Korra is incredible, especially as a response to a lot of the online discourse I've that puts it down in comparison to Avatar. (Spoilers, maybe??)

First off, Korra is lightyears more interesting as a protagonist than Aang ever was. She overcomes a complex range of issues while also challenging concepts of good and evil in a nuanced way. The show also does a tremendous job at illustrating the ways in which the themes in this show actively result in physical and psychological trauma for Korra, which is really important when you are catering shows to younger audiences. She is flawed, she is growing, and she is relatable to a wide range of audiences. 

Secondly, Korra is bisexual! It is so difficult to find bisexual characters that aren't portrayed as manipulators or villains, but who are still complex and interesting to follow. To find a character like her on a platform like Nickelodeon in the 2000s is truly remarkable and pivotal in terms of representation. Especially in our understandings of post-feminist and intersectional representation, Korra is a case study for the books.

Thirdly, the show's intricate plot lines surrounding authoritarianism, genocide, poverty, class struggle, colonialism, and environmentalism are far better fleshed out and compelling than they are in many narrative projects aimed at adult audiences. Seriously, Legend of Korra is more politically nuanced than Game of Thrones ever was. This is also probably the reason that they are reviving the Avatar brand to produce more content soon.

Lastly, Pabu. That's it, that's the argument. 

Ultimately, Korra rules. I am so happy I finally got to watch it this year. I also want to end this class by saying that I greatly enjoyed getting to dissect my understanding of one of my favorite forms of media with all of you. Thank you all for a great semester!!

Supplemental Post 5- Rojeen

As I was scrolling through twitter, I found this tweet that exposed NBC/ABC affiliate news stations for airing corporate sponsored propaganda from the US Chamber’s CEO, attacking the Pro Act (a bill that would help workers unionize). Tweeted by More Perfect Union, they play the “interviews” side by side from each local station they were aired on (Arizona, Virginia, and Georgia), and show both the fallacious questions the news anchors posed and the automated/scripted response by the U.S. Chamber’s CEO. For instance, on the Arizona station, the news anchor framed the Pro Act as legislation that would hurt local workers. And, on the segment that aired on Virginia’s local news station, they expose that the news anchor wasn't even a journalist, but actually a paid actor!! It reminded me of the discussion we had in class last week or two weeks ago about media conglomerates having control over local stations, like Sinclair, and how lobbyist and corporate propaganda can infiltrate local news stations under the guise of genuine reporting. And, given the rise of right-wing funded organizations like PragerU, that decontextualize and spew disinformation, it’s scary to think how much “news” we consume on local stations is merely ideologically bent propaganda. This is the creepy ass tweet if anyone wants to see: 

https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1382411843147300867 

Supplemental Post 4- Rojeen

 WATCHMEN. I started the show during class, when we watched the first episode for one of the week’s readings. I recently decided to finish the series, and I’m ashamed for how much I enjoyed it for its theatrics and sci-fi dystopia. I’m ashamed I enjoyed parts of it because the show is literally copaganda. The series promotes the idea that cops can be “good guys,” even if it also exposes the deep-rooted history of white supremacy within the police force, and scenes where the police are shown abusing their power. The watchmen are vigilante heroes within the police force fighting the 7th cavalry, a white supremacist organization that have roots from decades before to Cyclops, another white supremacist organization. But when did the police and police-affiliated vigilantes become anti-racist heroes fighting white supremacy?? The origin of the police force is literally rooted in white supremacy, with slave patrols being one of the first forms of policing. Yet, the entire show depicts the existing police/police-affiliated vigilantes (within the show) as fighting against right-wing white supremacists, when in reality the police are deeply entrenched in and continue to uphold white supremacy through paramilitary violence. A more realistic depiction would have shown the police force being an affiliate of the 7th cavalry rather than fighting against them. Even in the first episode, it shows an officer needing to request clearance to fire his weapon…as if cops have such discretion. I just feel like liberals will watch this show or watched this show and thought it offered a measured interpretation of the police, when really it seems to reinforce the asinine mantra of cops being good guys/heroes, with just a few “bad apples” within the police force. 

Core Post 5 - Brian Smith

 I recall earlier in the semester Tara had said that the cell phone has become an extension of ourselves. Due to its so many capabilities in delivering us news, entertainment, sending us reminders, allowing us to communicate in a myriad of ways, those of us with smartphones have a codependent relationship with them. As I read the Lotz piece this is what I thought of. As media progressively converges and as technology evolves to serve that convergence, does this diminish the boundaries between technology and self/identity? Perhaps this is a dystopian question but I think it is a fair one considering the hellscape we currently live in. The era of digital media accentuates media convergence to a spectacular degree. TVs, laptops, phones, and tablets pretty much all have the same capabilities with little differences. What are the implications of this technological totalitarianism? Where does technology end and the individual begin in this era of media ubiquity? One place we may locate these effects are in the prominent digital communities of conspiracy theorists. Media and technological convergence continue to intensify concerns of surveillance. As we, in a post-9/11 America especially, are surrounded by technology that “tracks” us (phones, tablets, laptops, cars etc) do we have autonomy? A seemingly rational question that is often exacerbated and politicized to the point of people refusing to take a vaccine because of the unfounded belief there might be a microchip in it. As ridiculous as it sounds to many of us, these are very real concerns people have and they develop communities around these concerns and create echo chambers of unfounded ideologies and often mobilize in ways that have drastic political and social ramifications. Questions I have: How do we address the social and cultural fragmentation created by media convergence? (How) can we maintain a sense of self separate from technology? Can we configure the economic systems that allow these technological possibilities to exist so that their production is not parisitically attached to the global south?