After changing avatar's appearance-
I haven't narrowed down exactly the direction I want to go with my theme but I chose my avatar's name- Phobia to represent my theme. I am sure that my avatar will continue to change to represent fear but for right now I changed her skin, clothes and hair so that she wouldn't be called a newbie anymore.
The beginning of chapter five begins with reproduction and the advances in visual technologies. The author makes the statement, "We argue against this approach, because technology itself does not determine change" (184). This is termed technological determinism.
Wikipedia says,"Technological determinism is a reductionist doctrine
that a society's technology determines its cultural values, social structure, or
history. Rather than acknowledging that a society or culture interacts with and
even shapes the technologies that are used, a determinist view holds that "the
uses made of technology are largely determined by the structure of the
technology itself, that is, that its functions follow from its form" (Neil Postman)."
Technology changes so slowly that the technology does not force change but rather responds and adapts to social change. Although some changes have been forced by technology like computer books, classes, etc. geared towards older generations, overall most technological advances can be traced to social wants and desires.
I thought the section on the advances in photography was interesting and I wanted to track and compare the different types of photography types. I was able to find a picture of Abraham Lincoln in each type-
Daguerreotype
(a silver compound adheres to a mirrored surface)
Ambrotype
Tintype
(silver compound put on an iron plate)
By putting these pictures in my blog I have proven the author's point of the power of reproduction. Because of the technological advances I am able to easily locate old pictures and reproduce them instantly and accurately. "The rare and cherished old photograph of our grandmother at age five, fading and crumbling in the family album, becomes a bit less difficult to lose when we have preserved it in a digital file that can be stored, copied, sent via e-mail, or placed on a photo album website" (214).
Jean- Auguste- Dominique Ingres's painting La Grande Odalisque and the Keri advertisement is an interesting usage of visuals to convey a message. The Keri advertisement was tapping into the aspects and positive points of the painting. Keri was also relying on a knowledgeable audience. This made me consider what other advertisements are based on works of art and what the companies are trying to convey by using works of art.
Mazda
Lego
I couldn't find a lot of examples but the Mazda one was very interesting. I'm not entirely sure what Mazda is trying to conveying with this ad other than it is an integral part of our society.
"And the marketplace of images has become more self-conscious, playing with the issues of power and looking, and in the process has produced new image codes in film, television, advertising, and on the Web" (136). The word 'marketplace' could be in relation to groups of ideas and connotations that need weighing, trading and/or bargaining, The struggle of weighing all the ideas is a part of producing necessary conclusions. I think the struggle to find the conclusions is the catalyst to producing new thoughts and ideas.
"Particular visual styles can thus help us to generally date an image, evoking an earlier moment in history" (143). The way something looks gives off a lot of information--its period in history, its social classification, among many other ideas. I believe this is the idea behind the argument concerning the confederate flag. For some people the flag signifies slavery, bondage and discrimination. Others claim it represents their southern heritage. This is an illustration of how many images can evoke different connotations and reputations.
I have spent a lot time thinking about a theme and trying to find something that would not only be interesting but somewhat academic. Many ideas I had were fun and interesting but I wasn't sure I would want a potential employer to see them. I finally came up with two ideas that I think would work well in my portfolio and be interesting to work on throughout this semester.
1. My first and favorite idea is exploring the concept of fear. This is broad right now but I plan on choosing specific fears like the paranormal, spiders and possibly others. I created my avatar and choose the name Phobia.
2. My other idea for is Ancient Rome. I enjoy history and Ancient Rome has influenced American culture and would provide interesting architecture to try to recreate in Second Life. This is also broad right now but would be narrowed down to possibly Women in Ancient Rome.
The myth of photographic truth makes photos and pictures so powerful. We assume that what we see actually occurred. Photos equal reality. We believe what we see and as the author stated we use photos as proof of life and circumstances. I remember in my government class in high school, my teacher held up a picture and asked us if we thought the picture was real. There was much discussion about how to tell if the picture had been altered. That was several years ago and since then technology and software has progressed to where many times, if done right, the changes are many times unnoticeable. But culturally I think that the myth is still believed and acted upon.
Another aspect of the photographic truth is the emotional component of pictures. Not only does society assume that the photo is true, but it also attaches emotion and meanings to the image. Whether it be our own photos of loved ones or professional photographs, pictures carry emotion and are able to evoke a response. Pictures are seen as credible and beliveable and that aspect gives the photographs the ability and power to create such a response.
"Practices of looking are intimately tied to ideology" (23). What society believes directs them to the photos taken, the pictures that are desired and the emotion tied to an image. Cultural choices are based on this and further the cultural beliefs and its influence. American ideology places importance on democracy and freedom. This cultural ideal directs to either accept or reject images and their connotations. This cultural ideal is perpetuated by itself. We believe this is ideal and we uphold it and spread it as part of our national pride.
