Mobility of Music

The ability to listen to music using portable devices such as iPods, laptops, and mp3 players alters an individual’s perception and experience of reality. The mobility of music, facilitated by ongoing technological advancement, aurally transports us to wherever we choose; instead of dealing with our immediate realities, we can allow ourselves to be taken through time, space, and environment. The portability of technology has encouraged the state of information overload that we now habitually live within. Instead of paying attention to immediate concerns – the oncoming traffic, for instance – we now are preoccupied by peripheral ideas and sounds. The acoustic space in which we now live has placed an emphasis upon the importance of a world in which speech and listening are central. The long term effects of this shift in our daily perception of life is yet to be determined.

 

Red Letter Media Movie Reviews

 

The Plinkett Reviews on redlettermedia.com analyze well-known films that become a subject of close scrutiny and examination. Character development, plot, dialogue, as well as other aspects of a film are questioned and dissected. Films such as the Star Wars prequels and the Star Trek movies are assessed within a medium of film that closely resembles a video blog in terms of presentation and composition. These reviews are done in a way that references other pop culturally relevant topics. The reviewer cuts to different pictures, film clips, and sound bytes while the main focus is upon the subject matter of the film in question. This format caters to our customization to a narcotizing pulse and pace of images, sounds, and data. The reviewing of media texts has always taken place alongside an original piece of media. This particular form of review exhibits the way in which “we shape our tools and afterwards, our tools shape us.” The video blog relies on the tools of video, editing, as well as the Internet. Access to these tools shapes the way in which we relate to the creation and consumption of entertainment, altering our perception and understanding of humour, irony, and drama. One of the more recent Plinkett reviews focuses upon James Cameron’s Avatar. We now live in a global village – a simultaneous happening. Any one of the millions of people constituting the audience of Avatar can now relate to this associated piece of media.

 

Audrey Hepburn

 

  Audrey Hepburn, a female figure of iconic status, is inherently a subject of feminist criticism. Presented as a slight, doe-eyed personage evoking childhood innocence, it can be said that Audrey Hepburn sparked a return to a childlike feminine figure. The virginal and petite Audrey Hepburn is a stark contrast to the buxom blonde Marilyn Monroe. In terms of societal norms, this shift of aesthetic values may be considered detrimental to the safety and protection of children. Young girls specifically have become a larger target for sexual predators. It may be said that Audrey Hepburn’s childish demeanor and petite stature have contributed to the sexual deviance exhibited rampantly throughout society. A playgirl in Breakfast at Tiffany’s as well as a preyed upon widow in Charade, Audrey Hepburn has endeavoured to portray diverse female characterizations. Deviating from roles grounded within innocence and naivity, she has distanced herself from the persona of a virginal damsel. From this perspective, she has broken societal constraints of the female disposition.

Dubble Bubble Bubblegum

The Double Bubble comic strips act as a layer of protective covering for the consumer-dependent product of bubble gum. The product itself is periphery to its packaging and additional features. In this case, the comic’s reference the Double Bubble gum product is a type of product placement within the product’s container. In this way, the product makes an intertextual reference to itself. The comic becomes an additional layer of material, concealing the product from view. The unwrapping of the gum thus becomes an experience; the initial bright pink wrapping is torn off, and the consumer is then faced with the Double Bubble comic. As an example of hyper-consumerism, the postmodern text of Double Bubble gum aims to grab attention through name recognition. This is done through the applications of ‘unique’ features that can be later associated with the company or brand name. The packaging technique implements characteristics of parody and satire as a general marketing tool.

Jones Soda

Jones Soda displays elements of post modernity within its packaging and presentation. Accepting photography from the general public as label submissions, the company represents an array of perspectives and concepts. The diversification of the labeling adds an interactive quality to the soda’s production, a reflection of the global village that the Internet has facilitated in establishment. This method of contemporary communication, demonstrated through the ever changing and varying labels, allows for a strong relationship to form between product and consumer. The lid of the soda bottle also has an interactive quality to its design – it offers a small fortune or saying to the soda’s drinker, mimicking the effect of a fortune cookie. This, as a marketing concept, promotes hyper-consumption and the development of company-based and product-based loyalty.