Question 1
Oppositional readings are a strategy being adopted by individuals who feel the media sometimes provides them with what they do not require. This is usually revealed through criticism of some authors and even movies ‘fans take found footage from television texts and edit them to construct their own videos which comment sometimes with irony’ (Jenkins, 1989, pg 550). Authors and directors who form part of oppositional analysts go a head to write books and even shoot movies to discourage the audience against such literature. A clear example is the movie titled I hate vampires. The movie is a production of people who were against the production of vampire movies by explaining their dissatisfaction ‘this resistance was based on their shared socio-cultural position or experience’ (Kitzinger, 206). The fact that the movies are based on fantasy rather than reality made a section of people to be agitated about it. The impacts it was having on the younger people by stirring up their imaginations in the wrong way. Vampires are considered to be a representation of evil where by the vampires are not involved in anything positive. Vampire movies are a drawback to the efforts of the society to instill good morals among their children. It should be realized how the media plays a vital role in informing, educating and entertaining its audience. When an audience is exposed to a particular thing for a long time, they start adopting it and even adapting it in their lives. The community was mainly against such movies because they were getting over their children’s lifestyles that they started displaying characters and behaviors that were not acceptable.
In many instances, the vampires were involved in evil acts such as raping women, drinking virgins’ blood, tearing up men and mainly causing havoc. Another discouraging feature about the vampires was the fact that they were mainly dead people who crawled out of their coffins mostly at night and scared people. They were also displayed as humans with extraordinary features such as horns, long teeth, sharp fingers and toes and ugly faces. This was a mythical representation of the devil, which scared people and especially children. Despite the fact that evil exists in he world, vampire films go over board in explaining evil. Watching such movies caused nightmares especially to children and even adults. Parents had rough time to convince their children that, what they saw on television screens was imaginary and would never come to reality.
Question 2
There is nothing being sold in the market without potential customers. This is because of the research that is undertaken by producers before they launch a product into the market. It should be noted that in business, it is all about satisfying the needs of the customers. This hence implies that whatever will be acceptable in the market by being bought will be produced ‘for audience researchers then, the interesting question is when and why do people watch televisionor read a newspaper’ (Livingstone, 353). This is the market that was being enjoyed by producers of vampire movies. With the negative effects it was causing on the audience, it was only a matter of time that the same would be reversed. This was not an easy thing especially when you consider their addictive nature and the fact that people were curious to watch them. The best way of challenging the audience and discourage them from such movies is to change their attitudes towards them. This was through information and knowledge. This had to be done in a persistent way and at least get people who support the move to carry on with the campaign.
The oppositional voices are mainly telling the society whet they do not understand about vampire movies and how they are enriching the companies at the expense of their safety. The campaign is mainly to unveil what the public knows about vampire movies yet they take for granted (Russo, 2008). For instance, it has been mentioned that such movies were mainly being shown during late hours of the night. This made it difficult for people to sleep even as they imagined what they had seen. Night is a vital time for the mind where an individual gets to reflect on their days activities. The mind has been designed in a way that when it is at rest, it will unwind by thinking about the day’s events, which will be reflected on what a person dreams. Watching such documentaries or movies, which are in fact not real wastes an integral part of the mind by making people reflect on meaningless events ‘another form of direct experience was related by a Tanzanian research participants. He did not accept the western media cataclysmic scenario about aids in Africa because he knew the places they were talking about’ (Kitzinger, 205). For instance, if a person had a bad day, and then they crown it up by watching evil displayed in vampire movies, chances are that they will have even a rougher day. There is nothing good they will reflect on, as what they have been exposed to during the day was evil and negative experiences.
The resisting audience only needed to discourage consumers from watching and purchasing the movies by giving them valid reasons. Once there is no market for the movies, the producers will definitely have to look for alternative entertaining movies. It is usually the dream of every movie producer to get positive feedbacks from their productions. However, criticisms play a vital role in helping them improve on what they had produced. This is usually the role of the audience in either promoting or resisting a work ‘singing as these characters may allow filkers to exploreissues which remain unresolved by the primary text and to offer challenges to its preferred meaning’ (Jenkins, 1989, pg 553). When the audience declares that they are tired of watching fantasies displayed in movies, which are doing more harm than good to the society, it will definitely imply to them that the next time they come up with such a production, it will not be accepted. The resisting audience therefore has all the power to change the entertainment scene by demanding movies that are more real and will positively impart on them.
Movie producers will only be motivated towards production when their publications are appreciated by the larger society. This is the main reason why the movie I hate vampires changed the entertainment scenes and minimized on the number of such movies being produced on a yearly basis.
Question 3
Communication is only complete when the message conveyed is received and interpreted in the desired form. This is the main challenge that is faced by the media in its effort to communicate to its audience (Jenkins, 1989). The manner in which such message will be interpreted will depend on the kind of audience and the language used. My audience of choice in this scenario use the media mainly for entertainment and information. They are sure to be updated of the latest happening across the world by turning on to the media and also unwind through various entertainment. With this in mind, and looking at the movie in question, we realize that the audience is not only looking to be entertained through the vampire movies but also to be informed. When we analyze these two factors, we realize how mistaken the audience will be because at the end of the scene, they will realize that they have not exactly been satisfied.
Looking at the entertainment part, we realize that such movies will only fill up the three hours they have been designed and in the end; the audience is left with many questions than they can answer. The fact that most of such movies are produced without any specific agenda but mainly to enrich the pockets of their producers, it means that they cannot even provide answers to what the audience may ask. For the mature audience, they will clearly understand that the scenes were made up and there is nothing real about them. The images of scary creatures destroying people and scaring them may most probably relate to the evils in the society and how some people may behave like the characters they have seen and watched. However, the exaggeration that comes with the movies will either tell them that there is a power that can assist them overcome challenges that come with the society or that there are people who are likely to use such powers to destroy them. The issue is that such a power also remains a myth and therefore instilling unnecessary fear within them.
The trick about communication is to get the audience know about their changing lifestyles and what may have led to the change. For instance if the movies display mystery and superstition all the time, it implies that the lives of their audience will revolve around mystery and myth. This is a drift from reality where people will be drawn to the movie life and neglecting the real life that surrounds them. Once they realize how the movies affect their lives, it will be a good opportunity to now tell them the difference between the life in the movie and what they are facing. After being excited or being frustrated about whet they have seen, they need to reflect on what that has doe to them except wasting their time ‘the research also demonstrated that people were not necessarily able to resist all messages that they would consciously wish to reject’ (Kitzinger, 208). First, there is no reality in what they have watched. However much they live, they will never be encountered by a beast with sharp nails, long teeth, horns and such a scary face bailing for their blood except in their dreams (Russo, 2008). These are the procedures that will help the audience to effectively interpret the message being displayed. It is all about letting them know that the producers of movies are not being hated on but that they are manipulating them and negatively influencing them ‘to understand how audiences accept or resist media we should look neither to the individual viewer’ (Steiner, 3). There are better and more realistic ways that movies can be used to educate and entertain the public. The message is mainly to challenge the public to be selective in choosing entertainment movies (Livingstone, 348). This can also be related to children and especially those who tend to believe what is displayed in the movies. After watching such movies, parents are asked questions by their children who question about the reality of the characters displayed. This has also tempted parents to caution children against certain acts relating to the scenes they have seen in the movies (Jenkins, 1989, pg 552). For instance, we hear of parents telling the children not to go to a certain place because Dracula will tear them up. The parents are not only lying to their children but also instilling fear in them that Dracula is a reality.
Question 4
The audience has a right to demand what is appropriate for them. In her statement, hegemony is leaky Mary Ellen Brown implied that not everything that is displayed in the market is good no matter how entertaining it may seem to be (Jenkins, 1989). This can be done by influencing the media by making them know what they want to watch and at what time. Many a times, the media fail the audience by making them watch what they do not need. For instance, there are some media channels, which are loved and enjoyed by many people. This could be because of their coverage and what their acceptability of their programs. Issues arise when the media decides to upgrade its programming by airing what may be unacceptable by a section of the audience (Kitzinger, 203). Other stations that seem to capture the attention of viewers simply because of what they air may influence Media channels. The hence believe that when they start airing similar programs, they will have even a larger coverage. This is a misconception and basically generalizing on their audience who could be attracted to their channel because of their old system.
It is now they need to speak out and let the concerned management understand that they are not pleased with the changes. The audience has failed to realize, it is their comments and reaction to programs that will affect what they receive. They have left all this to media activists such as Culture Jammers to present their views not realizing that they also have a role to play. Some who are ignorant of this fact will complain in silence and never take that step to express their concern (Livingstone, 338). They may leave such a decision to a few who seem to be more courageous to dominate what they watch. When a loyal audience realizes that there are some changes in what is being displayed in the media, they should realize that people’s interests are slowly changing and therefore affecting the media. For instance, if people have to watch he amounts of money just to go and watch a film in a theatre, a television channel may decide to capture such audience by airing it free (Russo, 2008). This is usually with the assurance that the more they have in terms of audience, the more the channel will accepted for advertisement.
The audience should realize, just like movie producers whose agenda is to make a good deal out of whet they produce, televisions will also go what is liked just to attract the attention. The main difference between movie producers and television managers is how they obtain their income. For the movie producers, it is by directly selling their movies while for television channels it is all about the coverage that will make many companies to approach them for advertising (Livingstone, 343). Looking at these reasons, we realize that such media may not necessarily have the interests of the viewers at heart, but simply satisfy their economic ambitions. We all know about what showing nude clips on the scene imparts on the morals of the society. This has even been dangerous to children who get a different perspective about sex and start engaging in illicit sexual relationships. They obtain the message from the media, which mostly does not give them an appropriate dose for their age.
This has not however stopped media companies from showing this images, this is because they seem to be attractive to the younger generation. The fact that such scenes are stage-managed and not real makes them inappropriate for any person. The main reason why they are common and mostly illegal sold to teenagers is because of the need of the producers to make quick cash (Livingstone). This has taken a different shape where such nude images are used to advertise almost everything. Marketers realize that such images are catchy and will always make them obtain the attention they need from their potential clients. Instead of enjoying such clips, it will only be helpful if the audience come out in protest and even boycott watching or using products that use such images (Jenkins, 1989). The audience should not accept to be used by the media and other advertising companies to make money at the expense of their morals and the morals of the society. They should also show interests in watching and getting products that are morally and culturally appropriate and encouraging their producers through positive comments.
The audience resistance being examined will achieve this by boycotting movie theaters and television channels that air such clips. They will also stage campaigns encouraging people to only watch selected channels and movies that are not into fantasy by mentioning how they will positively impart on them and the society. Using the clips of I hate vampire, they will also influence other people on the selfishness that producers display by showing them their imaginations that are not real (Jenkins, 1989, pg 554). This will also be facilitated by changes in what children use in terms of study books. Any literature material that talks about vampires and such like imaginary creatures should be banned as inappropriate. This a strategy used by authors to deceive children about imaginary creatures that have never existed and giving their parents a hard time to answer questions poses to them by their children.
Reference list
Jenkins H. (1989). Strangers no more we sing: Filking and the social construction of the science
fiction community. Pdf file.
Kitzinger, J. Resisting the message: the extend and limits of media influence. Pdf file.
Livingstone S. The changing nature of audiences. Pdf file.
Russo, A. (2008). Vampire Nation. New York: Llewellyn Worldwide.
Steiner, L. Oppositional decoding as an act of resistance. New York: university professor of
media communications. Pdf file.
