Chapter 10: The Ethical Dimensions of Art and Entertainment

Tolstoy argued that art communicated the feelings of the artist to the masses in the way in which the artist intended. This definition is broadly interpreted by artists and their audiences. We see it's power through popular media today such as television shows where issues are cast a light upon to call for action. They have raised public awareness and policy through issues that we would've once overlooked. This calls for a moral component for us to act upon and seek out through art. Today almost all story telling is through the mass media and it's artists.

Messages are compressed and distorted due to the depth that they lack. Artists are not bound to tell the truth, they simply create an idea from their own mind and we interpret it. We don't care if truth and entertainment are blurred because new realities are fun for us to discover. Being an art student made me realize that the more creative you are, the more valuable you are in that profession. They don't want clear cut thinking and definitely seek the unimaginable.

I love that our book discussed Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire-the excerpt we watched in class. I like that he highlighted on their responsibility to the public. The argument was entertaining to watch and I laughed a lot because Stewart knew his stuff and got his point across.

Also in the War of the Worlds broadcast listeners tuned in to what they couldn't decipher as an actual event or a story. They heard of a mass takeover and some listeners thought it was actually occurring.

I went to a Christian camp when I was younger where Harry Potter was banned. I read the first Harry Potter book in kindergarten and my parents were proud that I was an advanced reader so young, they didn't care it discussed issues that upset the Catholic church. Should we really ban books that help students to explore creativity in a healthy way? No of course not, but everyone has their views that will differ on what is acceptable and what isn't. I think if the Catholic Church wants to be weird about a book then they have bigger issues to deal with.

While I was at art school we were not given a lot of boundaries, we were allowed to explore basically whatever we wanted, there might have been some guidelines but they weren't echoed a lot. It was an environment that didn't have deadlines and promoted the development of an idea organically. We had a special center for students who learned differently- I have always studied and memorized information in symbols. I drew pictures to remember information that I needed to know for tests, partly because I had always been critical of my teachers and knew i had to memorize information but needed a way to do it.  I was always frustrated by authority and being confined to a system. It was a different way of thinking and the most intelligent people I have met have been professors and students from that school (SCAD) but their views and methods are definitely not the majority in America. A lot of artists have gotten labeled as lazy but really it is a difference between left and right brain.

Last night I watched the movie Jobs with Ashton Kutcher which I haven't finished but I can sort of relate the character of Steve Jobs to this chapter. He did some pretty unethical things when his art/technology was given fuel and power.

My parents always tell me that the future is for creative minds and entrepreneurship, we have enough doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc.

We also air almost anything on TV. I am still amazed that people carve out time in their day to watch tacky court shows where they find out who the dad is, Cops, and random families in the south (honey boo boo? are you kidding?!) I feel like what people do with their own time is their business but the media definitely opened the window for people to throw their lives out of. I have tried to watch reality tv and couldn't sit through an episode so to each his own. It makes money but i find it hard to watch, a waste of time and stereotypical, but then again it makes money.

We had a documentary film maker come into our class ( this was one of my favorite class days) because It was so unique to talk to the artist behind the idea. I usually feel stupid asking questions but internally I was so enlightened to hear about the crossing of immigrants to America. It's an issue I hear about but don't know enough to have a conversation and not sound ignorant. Documentary film makers always have an angle to their film, and usually it is one sided. They are always in the right and the truth teller. They use information of their own and tell the story in the way they want to be the most truthful one. Blackfish is another film that comes to mind, however I can't really see keeping a wild animal in a pool from another point of view. I think that was one of the most successful documentaries I have seen because it doesn't leave a lot of room for "well yeah, but...."  Other documentaries I can see the issue as being skewed, sometimes with good reason, but there is always more to a story.

The time of our deaths is fixed and I think most people should be given freedom to live their lives in a way the want to. I believe in as few creative rules as possible and hopefully people focus on having strong morals and use power and their voice wisely. That would be a perfect world but it's probably not going to happen.

Chapter 3:

This chapter starts off by discussing how dating sites make money through cookies and selling its users data. I don't find an ethical dilemma with enabling cookies to track our online history to make purchasing decisions. The average user probably doesn't associate the term "cookie" with a computer but users are aware that they are being targeted via sites such as Facebook when their advertisements are specialized based on the user. For example, a fashionista like myself is bombarded with online boutiques that the computer assumes I would purchase from, which is fine, I don't have to purchase something unless I willingly do so.

Strategic communication involves its consumers skipping over commericals and taking short cuts to get their entertainment which poses a problem for advertisers who are looking to get their messages to eyeballs. Advertisers are now having to consider invading people's privacy further to get their message across.

I can see where advertisers are coming from, they are just doing their job in a world that is saturated with messages from retailers. The problem that I see isn't that it is more difficult to advertise to the public now, because we tend to tune out ads and huge billboards. It isn't making an impact any more. We are used to it, this is today and this is what should happen. Using shock value isn't always ethical but what can be learned is that we need new methods and a completely different direction in terms of advertising and sending out our message so that it is heard and thought about.

As an avid Harry Potter fan, I related the room of requirement to how we use power. Technologies ethical issues doesn't mean we get rid of technology...it has helped us immensely. The way we use technology is what grounds the ethical issues surround it. We can make our social sites private, and we can opt out and not join. How an individual chooses to participate and behave is on them.

I see people losing their own guiding inner voice and that is the issue. Technology is a tool and there will always be ethical issues with such an important tool available for every single person. We still hold responsibility for what we do and say on these platforms. If you really wanted to, technology could disappear, for you.

In the persuasion discussion I was immediately reminded of the plastic water bottle companies. They are advertising a healthy product but using plastic that harms our environments. I am drinking out of a plastic water bottle right now, but I have also watched the movie Tapped and now feel guilt drinking out of it. I am hesitant to purchase plastic water bottles, my use of it is going down. I bought a Brita water filter and reusable water bottle with a built in filter. I went out of my way after being persuaded by this movie Tapped to stop drinking plastic water bottles. The same thing goes for our consumers, if there is an ethical issue at hand, let's address it with a wide range of point of views so people aren't blindsided and can make an informed personal decision. If persuasion is being used there is always an angle from the persuader to it's "prey".

We can finalize our decisions through the TARES test of ethical persuasion. Truthfulness, Authenticity, Respect, Equity, Social aspect.

Cognitive dissonance is when a message and action give conflicting and uncomfortable signals 

Chapter 9: New Media: Continuing Questions and New Roles

The delivery methods in media today are new: we use outlets like Youtube as another way to view programming. The internet gives people the power to organize as never before. Social media is adept at separating people into groups.

The role of information provider and collector, also known as the first informer role, is done by both citizens and journalists. Citizen journalism lacks verification which is why the second role of verifying information and placing it into context separates journalism in a professional manner. This role values truth, context and equality. The ethical value of truth and accuracy is being employed. If journalists lose their adherence to these values they will be mixed in with the first role and lose credibility.

Digitization is concept that we are not used to. Ethical performance calls for us to cite the source of our information. What do we do when the source is not real or one we created out of thin air? These sources need to credible and accurate. In reference to the Audrey Hepburn Gap commercial, I found the concept of digitization unsettling. I saw that commercial on TV with my dad and I said to him "but how can they do that- she is dead...right?" After reading about it in our book, I think there might be some ethical issues of using her image in such a way without her permission.

Public forums are a place where people meet by chance and can start a dialogue. Our news should have other points of view and stories we may have otherwise overlooked in order for us to grow individually and as a species. We must be open minded and tolerant of other people's views.

 

 There is trust that should be kept between a reporter and the source (sort of like a therapist and their patient). This is why in some instances journalists have gone to jail protecting a source. This reminded me of the movie we watched in class where Sally Field tells the woman who had gotten an abortion that she couldn't leave her name out of the story. We discussed if it was necessary for Sally Field's role as journalist to divulge such detailed information (the abortion) or if she could just state that the women was at a doctor's appointment.

This chapter connects with the concept of Utilitarianism in chapter 1: The greatest good for the greatest number of people has profound democratic implications. The internet is a tool that can be used to better our education and gather more information to make us more well educated in different areas. Journalism will be more focused on putting facts into context-taking it one step further for readers. The concept of "free" press is emphasized in the notion to make news coverage accessible to every American through the internet- this benefits the individual and society at large (key concept)

 "What separates the professionals from the amateurs at core is values and the ability to think ethically within a professional domain. " (237)