Hyperreality, reasonable replacements, and predetermined surprises!

I began to think back on our class discussion concerning the notion of hyperreality and the inability to distinguish between what is real and what is not real and how places like Epcot at Disneyworld become a reasonable replacement for various cultures throughout the world. Looking further into the picture, one can say that reality TV such as MTV’s Real World is a reasonable replacement for what is real. However, there comes a point in time when one can decipher between what is real and what is not real because people learn to subconsciously read between the lines of television programming. Camera angles, scripts, dress, and act can determine the level of reality within a reality TV show. As we discussed in class the show, Next, in which two contestants, usually, one male, female, gay, or bisexual contestant with five daters of the opposite sex or dating preference are hidden from each other. The contestant is on the RV and the daters are hidden on the Next Van. The dates begin with one of the daters stepping out of the van and the screen freezes while personal information about the individual is released to the viewer. Whenever the contestant feels he or she wants to end the date, a new dater is released for a trial date. My point is, the viewer is able to decipher that the show is staged and scripted. The outcome of the show is most likely already predetermined but we, as consumers, except these terms that this false reality dating show is a replacement for real-life dating situations and that we subconsciously know that the outcome has already been prearranged. Reality TV shows, therefore, become an excepted excuse to watch something that we know is already false and predetermined for the sake of watching something we may find comical or an acceptable replacement for reality.

But what happens when TV shows like American Idol that is not subconsciously known to be prearranged or scripted are in fact, predetermined? A few days ago I was listening to 106.5 on my morning commute to Loyola when I was blown away by the statement that the winners of the show are prearranged. What? Yeah, that’s what I said. I began to wonder if this was true. One of Fox’s most popular programs whose mission is to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nationwide auditions would be a major disappointment to many if viewers were aware that American Idol’s winning contestants were already predetermined by it’s show hosts. What do others think?

Sesame Street Crisis

For nearly 40 years, Sesame Street has been a wonderful all American educational classic. According to Wikipedia and other Sesame Street online resources, the show was produced in the United States by the non-profit organization Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), founded by Joan Ganz Cooney and Ralph Rogers. Well known for its children's television series consisting of Muppet characters like Big Bird, Elmo, and other famous favorites created by Jim Henson, Sesame Street premiered on November 10, 1969, and is the longest running children's program on American television. According to CBC news, Sesame Street was originally designed to help children from low-income families to prepare for school. The company then expanded to include radio shows, books, magazines and online programming.

Unfortunately, due to the economy, Sesame Workshop is cutting about one-fifth of its work force. According to the CBC news, The New York Company stated that it is eliminating 67 of 355 staff positions. Declaring it is "not immune to the unprecedented challenges of today's economic environment," the company pronounced a need "to operate with fewer resources in order to achieve our strategic priorities."

After completing our popular culture projects on media conglomerates, I reviewed some of Sesame Street’s major sponsors including, Wall Street conglomerates, Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch, all of which were devastated by the economic crisis.

According to US Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-03-11-sesame-street_N.htm

"Among the company's early TV efforts is The Electric Company, which aired during the 1970s and was revived with new episodes on PBS in January."

"Sesame Workshop gets revenue from product licensing and the sale of its programs to PBS and syndication. The company is also funded by government agencies, foundations and corporations."

"Total revenue was $145 million in 2008, with operating expenses totaling $141 million, according to the company's website."

The "11th Hour"

The 11th Hour, a Green film? Yes! Famous celebrity Leonardo DiCaprio, star of “Titanic,” “The Departed,” and “Blood Diamond” co-produced and narrated a green community 2007 documentary film, the 11th Hour. As the Green Movement becomes increasingly recognized in popular society, hopes are that the film impacts individuals beyond the pre-existing green community. Directors and producers Nadia Conners and Leila Conners Petersen aim to both educate and inspire the masses on how it is that we as a global society live, how we impact the earth’s ecosystems, and what we can do to change our direction.

Check out the 11th Hour Trailer: http://11thhouraction.com/seethefilm. The DVD may be purchased online and the DVD packaging is even environmentally friendly produced with 100% certified renewable resources. Furthermore, a portion of the profits will be donated to Global Green.

In 2007, the 11th Hour received the Clarion Award, Jules Verne Audience award, and the 22nd Annual Earth Watch Film award

From the film is an 11th Hour website, http://11thhouraction.com/ which provides a community where people can go to to access methods individuals can employ to help involve his or her community in attaining sustainability. Here, people can share their ideas on sustainability and the steps needed to take proper and effective eco- friendly action. The site includes community news such as the “Earth Hour” started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia with 2.2 million homes and businesses turning their lights off for one whole hour. Locally in Washington D.C., the 11th Hour Action chapter is dedicated to the “Trash Free Anacostia” project proposing a bill, the "Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Act of 2009,” which endeavors to reduce the amount of waste deposited into the river each year.

Tools such as teaching resources, the 11th Hour film, downloads, and blogs can be accessed on the 11th Hour website to facilitate sustainable proposals and practices in your community.

Twitter Eco-Homesite

After searching the web, I found that Twitter offers an Eco- Friendly Home site that enables those who join to view eco-style living and business options. People have the ability to share information about the environment, green resources discovered on the web, new sustainable products, and updated news relating to the environment.

For those who are interested be sure to join at http://www.ecohomesite.com/

Sustainable Furnishing

The Green Movement in popular culture has extended its horizon to indoor and outdoor furniture. Sustainable and economically friendly materials are becoming a popular taste among many home owners. Listed below are some exquisite environmentally friendly home furnishings:

Manufactured and designed by the Blue Dot Company, this office seat is derived from bent plywood and a satin plated steel base.

Water Saving Fluidics Shower Head
This invigorating shower head decreases water usage by 36 percent compared to the standard-flow systems in other shower heads.

This chair consists of recycled skateboards. Want to give an area of your home an inventive hip eco- friendly twist? Try accenting a room with a recycled skate-board chair.

Eco- Friendly Cell?

So I’ve been on an environmental eco-friendly green kick lately. Recent news claims that the majority of newer handset cell phone models will have a universal charger by January 2012. I thought it was interesting to take into account the great Green Movement, particularly, the technological advancements occurring in communicative devices in popular culture. Modern society lives in a world of “excessiveness” and “instant gratification” that goes above and beyond the mere purpose of necessity. Advertisers for example, promote new cell phone models with the most advanced and up-to-date technologies and accessories, all of which are unneeded materialistic items.

Recent reports by CNN claim that the Group Special Mobile Association (GSMA), which represents more than 750 of the world's cell phone operators, will create an universal micro USB plug for handsets. Furthermore, the new universal charger will provide environmental friendly benefits by reducing the amount of raw materials produced and wasted annually on cell phones. According to Rob Conway, CEO and member of the GSMA board, "The mobile industry has a pivotal role to play in tackling environmental issues and this program is an important step that could lead to huge savings in resources, not to mention convenience for consumers."

Listed below are some statistics stated by GSMA provided by CNN. Each presents the projected eco- friendly solutions that the universal charger will provide:

“Last year an estimated 1.2 billion cell phones were sold, according to University of Southern Queensland data reported by the GSMA, of which handsets accounted for between 50 and 80 per cent. That equates to between 51,000 and 82,000 tons of chargers.”
“The GSMA hopes the initiative will slash the greenhouse gases that result from the manufacture and transport of chargers by 13.6 and 21.8 million tons each year.”
"There is enormous potential in mobile to help people live and work in an eco-friendly way and with the backing of some or the biggest names in the industry, this initiative will lead the way," Conway added.

“The GSMA says that companies which have signed up to the plan include 3 Group, AT&T, KTF, LG, mobilkom Austria, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone."