Generic Description Analysis of the Advice Animal memes (Blog 3)

When viewing the “Advice Animals” as the artifact for a rhetorical criticism, I believe the Generic Criticism will serve as the most appropriate avenue, specifically the Generic Description analysis. Since I am analyzing a set of memes, I believe there is a strong importance in identifying the rhetorical genre of them, and “formulating theoretical constructs about its characteristics” as Foss describes it.

The preconceived framework of these memes is shown as animals that are giving their advice, insight, or preferences on particular situations or subjects. With each animal, there is a different situation or context. For example, my initial meme from this set, Foul Bachelor Frog, describes what he would do under his living conditions through the discourse. There is a set of common elements within these memes to be identified. While no particular set of memes within this family is exactly alike to one another, they all hold commonalities.

The benefit of using the internet as a platform to collect memes to use as artifacts for this criticism is that they are plentiful, and vary under a wide range. The creator of each meme is unknown, but that information is irrelevant to this from of criticism. When viewing these artifacts online, it is seen as the animal itself providing the information, not the creator.

Generic Description analysis can serve as a criticism that will allow me to identify the style and delivery of these artifacts, and uncover which elements make them as important as they are. For example, if the animal itself were to be different, or the color wheel behind them, would it impact the significance of the message?

When providing a critical analysis using this method, the characteristics need to provide insight about a type of rhetoric. I believe that the set of artifacts I have selected can prove conclusive to an insight about a type of rhetoric. Internet meme creation has become popular as a form of rhetoric on the web, and I believe this analysis can help explain as to why this is.

When viewing memes from this particular category, it appears that with further uncovering, it is more that plausible that they share common substantive and stylistic strategies. I also believe that it is almost certain they hold a classification scheme. For these reasons, I find that Generic Description Analysis would be most appropriate as my first choice.

My second choice of criticism would be Fantasy-theme analysis when looking at the “Advice animal” memes. The leading rationale behind this decision is the interesting dynamic in which so many of these memes are created. Anonymous users create these artifacts, and through them they share fantasy themes. While Foul Bachelor Frog, for example, is nothing more than a picture of a frog, the discourse contained within numerous images holds a common meaning or idea.

Undoubtedly, internet memes have amassed a significant amount of popularity amongst internet users, and thus, they become well-fit criteria for Fantasy-theme analysis. However, I find that my first choice can cover more substantial information as to why these memes resonate with their audience in the way that they do.         

Scholarly Analysis of Artifacts (Blog #2)

In order to develop a greater understanding of the rhetorical criticism process when looking at internet memes, I did some research on what other scholars have found within this particular field. It is critical that I, through research, gain insight on effective methodology to receive the maximum benefit of my analysis.

Subversive Memes: Internet Memes as a Form of Visual Rhetoric, by Heidi E. Huntington is the analysis I had decided to use to gain a better understanding of critical analysis on internet memes. Within the article, she discusses these memes being applied to the Constructionists Approaches to Representation, which includes the semiotic and discursive approaches. In addition, she applies memes as Visual Rhetoric.

Huntington’s work takes a comprehensive look at internet memes, discussing them beyond their physical presence in the internet community. She explains their possible cultural significance as a text, and what perceived meaning can come from them to different individuals. This includes the power these texts may have to a culture within a larger frame than the meme itself. In addition, it is discussed how memes could also be considered persuasive while being examined as visual rhetoric.

Viewing how more experienced scholars than I took the time to break down the text and perform critical analysis on them, it served as an important learning experience towards my own work approach in general. I have realized how essential it is to really break down the text into its most rudimentary functions. I believe prior to this research, I was viewing the subject matter in the wrong scope, focusing too strongly on what may be rather insignificant details.

Huntington’s research brought up important thoughts to keep in mind as viewing an internet meme as visual rhetoric. Most importantly, just because the creator of a meme may believe that it means one thing; it doesn’t have to mean that same thing to all of its viewers. I believe that is important to be cognizant of no matter the framework I decided to analyze my artifact with, as every individual may make their own connotation of the message.

Within this article, Huntington describes memes as a functioning part of a “participatory media culture.” While performing this analysis, I believe this will also serve as a useful bit of information to keep the correct scope. Individuals that are a part of this culture have the power to create one of these memes just as much as the next person. Plenty of these texts float around on the internet, and the meaning of them can be switched so easily on an individual basis, as no two creators may be the same. In that sense, it exemplifies the importance of viewing this from an overall perspective, not focusing too strongly on any one particular example as the basis of my examination.

Viewing firsthand how another scholar approaches the analysis of these artifacts proves beneficial, as I can see what is important to inspect in order to effectively contribute to the rhetorical community when discussing internet memes.             

Foul Bachelor Frog

Today, the internet as we know it holds many important functions for us, including business and entertainment purposes. As we browse our favorite social platforms on the internet, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit, we can’t help but love and become a part of the recent trend of “memes.” These are images that are generated and shared about specific topics or cultures, usually taking on a humorous role. Memes can be seen as a form of modern rhetorical artifacts; therefore I will be taking a closer look at a specific meme and analyzing it, discussing its contribution to the world of rhetorical theory.

The meme I am deciding to analyze is the “Foul Bachelor Frog,” which is a part of the “Advice Animal” family of internet memes. These memes are centralized images of animals, with a specific color wheel behind them. Text is then inserted at both the top and bottom of the overall image to complete the creation of this artifact. The Foul Bachelor Frog specifically contains the image of a rather unamused frog face, with a green color wheel behind him. He emerged in the relatively early popularization of memes, and has since lost popularity.  

This particular meme encompasses the lifestyle of a typical young single male living on his own. Specifically, some of the foul tendencies this demographic seems to have, including many aspects of everyday lifestyle decisions. Some notable examples are dietary choices, personal hygiene decisions, and social situations. Thousands of these images exist online, and it’s obvious that they depict arguably true and unfavorable ways that young men treat themselves while living alone.

These memes certainly are viewed in drastically different ways, depending on who they are shown to. The crude subject matter they often contain is undoubtedly offensive to many different types of people. For example, elderly women, such as grandmothers would be disgusted at the thought of their grandsons performing some of these acts. They are obviously not intended for children to see them, as they contain almost entirely adult-based themes.

However, the group whom this meme is created for, young single men, certainly adored this frog during his tenure of popularity. It allowed them to share their own personal preferences in the field of frowned-upon lifestyle choices in complete anonymity through social platforms such as 4chan, and laugh and discuss them with others. It served as a medium through which men could share their dirty secrets in a light-hearted manner.

This meme held a shared symbolism amongst its creators that made it so popular. It served as a message to the other “Foul Bachelor Frogs” out there that they were not alone. There were other people out there doing the same gross acts as they were, and they shouldn't hide it. It became a centerpiece of comedic relief for a large amount of men out there in the world, exemplifying that embarrassment doesn’t have to be a product of their lifestyle. They could showcase their own personal feats, and join the rest of the bachelor community in celebration and pride of those acts.

      

Pulp Fiction (Blog #8)

Most major motion pictures that we know today have one significant commonality, sequential order of events within the plot. The genre of the film is irrelevant, from action, to comedy, to fiction, or anywhere else in-between, most films that come to your mind share this trait. But once in a blue moon, a film is created where the sequence of events might not add up immediately, but in the end, it makes all the difference in the creation of a masterpiece. Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantio, tells the stories of multiple characters simultaneously from an individualized perspective.

As the film starts, a suspicious couple is having a conversation in a diner. This conversation eventually leads to a mutual agreement that the diner is a great business to rob. They both unleash their weapons, and the scene changes. This unorthodox method of switching scenes right before the climax leaves the viewer in suspense, keeping them interested. As the film continues, we are introduced to Samuel L. Jackson’s character as well as John Travolta’s. We come to find out they are affiliated with some mob boss in their city as they murder one of their perpetrators. Next thing we know, Bruce Willis is listening to this mob boss speak, and accept a bribe to purposely lose his boxing match later that night. All of these first scenes don’t appear to be related in any significant sense, but it keeps us interested, eager to discover how it will all tie together. As it continues, Travolta is buying top-grade heroine from his friendly neighborhood drug dealer. He shoots up in his house, and goes on his way to accompany his boss’s wife for a night on the town. After the night spirals downward to Travolta reviving this woman from a drug overdose and being terrified of the consequences, the scene changes again.

The first hour of this lengthy film alone exemplifies that showing events unfold out of order may initially confuse the audience, but more importantly, it intrigues them. Given the critical acclaim of this film, it provides evidence that viewers like to stray from the normal path on occasion. The content is not simply handed to them on a silver plate in an easily digestible fashion. We as viewers need to pay attention to detail and make some inferences of our own. As the different sections of plot development continue to unfold, we learn more and more that starts to add up and fill the story with excitement. For example, we learn that Bruce Willis, the boxer that is attempting to flee town, is the owner of the important gold watch. His pursuit of the watch ultimately leads to his savior from the mob boss in a cruel and unfortunate way.

After Willis breaks free from LA, we are rejoined by the dynamic duo of Travolta and Jackson in the scene they were left off in. Once the “divine intervention of God” as Jackson describes it occurs and they make their escape from the crime scene, an accident only furthers their troubles. Once the situation at hand is resolved, they decide to go for breakfast which leads them right to the scene the film began with. When placed in that situation, Jackson finalizes his epiphany, handles it accordingly, and the film goes to the credit roll.

The sequence of events within this film played a massive role in turning it into the success it is today. If the plot followed a traditional format, I believe it would not have been nearly as successful. The idea that the viewers had to think on their own to help make the events line up makes it deserving of the A+ reviews it received from critics worldwide.            

Product Placement of Always Sunny (Blog #6)

I decided to watch “The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention” of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for product placement in a sitcom. Always sunny is by far one of my favorite sitcoms to ever air on television, and I’ve noticed product placement when watching it in the past. I decided to use this episode as an example because it holds some prominent product placement, but it’s also my favorite episode.

Placement starts right at the beginning of the episode. It shows the gang going somewhere inside one of the character’s cars, and Frank, one of the main characters, is drinking boxed wine out of a diet Coke can. As the episode continues, they continue to show more and more characters adapt and utilize his idea, making the product placement even more profound. The characters continually hint at the idea throughout the episode as well. The gang refers to them as soda cans; however, they never use any other type of can, regardless of how many of them are doing it. I find this interesting because it’s very obvious they are not consuming the product itself, they are only using it as an illusion to drink in public without being suspicious.

In addition, I found one other significant placement later on in the episode. As the crew is hanging out in the bar, there’s a distinct importance on Coors Light beer products. They have plastic containers for coasters and straws adorning the logo. Moreover, they have multiple neon signs on the walls showing off the brand, as well as keg tap handles boasting the “silver bullet.” But the most interesting part about this is that there are zero other brands of beer shown in the bar. All of the other signs and logos simply say “beer” or “lager” and do not mention any specific brand. To anyone that’s been in a modern bar, they would notice something as odd as this immediately and probably begin to worry since Coors light is an awful beer. Bars don’t carry just one brand of beer, and they want everyone to know they probably have the brand you’re looking to enjoy when you step in. There are signs and advertisements for almost any type of beer you could hope for in a pub today, especially an Irish pub like the one in the show. It makes me wonder what the significance of Coors is for the show, whether they wanted that branding, or if it was the cheapest. Regardless, it’s undoubtedly there for everyone to see.

        

There were some other brands that appeared throughout the episode, but none of them seem significant enough to be considered placement. For example, one of the characters drives an older Range Rover, but you only see it momentarily. In addition, there are plenty of different brands of liquor behind the bar, such as Jameson, Beefeater, and Baileys, but it’s a brief visible shot of them, and they go without mentioning by any of the characters.

It does not seem to me as if It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia emphasizes brand names too drastically, but certain scenarios cannot be denied. However, I don’t know much about branding in television, so it may be something as simple as what brand is cheapest, or if that brand is necessary for the comedy or plot development. In comparison to other popular sitcoms, I would say Always Sunny does a good job with subtle brand approach.        

The Morning Call (Blog 2)

Hello again, today I’m going to post my thoughts about an article I read in The Morning Call, from September 10, 2014 on page “news 2.” The article discussed how Mayor Michael Nutter and City Councilman James Kenney reached an agreement to decriminalize small amounts marijuana in Philadelphia. The article stated that people who possessed amounts under 30 grams, which is slightly over an ounce, would only have to pay a fine of up to $100 or nine hours of community service. To me, this article seems like it was written by someone who can keep a level head about pot in today’s society. It was written fairly, and did not seem to hold any prejudice in its words about people who are caught possessing it. To me, most media seems to hold some kind of favoritism to it about almost any topic. And Marijuana certainly has been a wide spread controversy since municipalities have begun to reduce its negative stigmatism amongst law enforcement. It would be quite easy for an author to take a trip down prejudice lane about this touchy topic, however, it remained fair all the way through. To me, this article shows what journalism is all about. It gave the reader a topic, explained the situation in sufficient detail, and wrapped it up with more information on the topic on a national level. I greatly appreciate media that doesn’t have a twist implemented on it to express the feelings of the writer on the topic. This author seems to understand what marijuana means to the average citizen today, and avoided offending readers about the topic. He stuck to what he was supposed to do without stepping on any toes, which will continue his likelihood of readers following his work. Neutrality is a beautiful thing in the news; it allows people to see a story how they want.   

Introduction

Hello everyone! I’m going to start off my blog by first introducing myself. My name is John Scheers and I am a senior at Kutztown University, not including the “victory lap” I’ll be taking. I am a Communication Studies major and a Public Relations minor, and I aspire to go deep within the Public Relations field. I love that PR is involved with everything in the world today, especially since that means there are plenty of job opportunities out there. My dream is to work in the Public Relations department of the Baltimore Orioles front office. To me, nothing would surpass my ability to help my all-time favorite sports team off the field. With that being said, it’s quite obvious that I’m a huge Orioles fan. I forever represent my devotion to this team, because I have an Oriole tattooed on my right arm for everyone to see. This brings me to my other passion in life, collecting amazing art work on my skin, forever to be cherished by me, no matter where I go. Being tattooed is a slow, painful, and expensive process, but to someone like me, it’s worth every little bit. 

Next, I’m going to discuss my reflection of my professor’s blog. I find the words he has spoken to be quite true concerning most of the media today, mainly the internet. A considerable amount of effort and time is put into irrelevant activities on the web. Numerous people on a daily basis go through huge amounts of stress and discomfort because of social media. I find it to be unfortunate, but media as we know it today is here to stay, and there are many positive advantages of it. From a PR perspective, I have quite the fond view of social media. If used properly, it can be one of the best free or cheap tools a company can take advantage of to help boost their image.