Social Media in Society

      Social media has become an essential part of our society as Americans. Since the days of MySpace social media has become something that everyone participates from seniors to children. This form of media is meant to connect people on the internet through pictures, words, and video. Many use these site to connect with friends they would not normally see on a regular basis some use it to promote themselves or a business. While there are many ways for a person to use social media there have been many instances where the public uses social media for activism.
        What does online activism look like? Well, it can take on many forms, but what I would like to focus on this week is hashtags and their purpose. A hashtag is a label that make it easier for social media users to seek out messages that have a certain theme or topic. For instance, the hashtag #MayPac will connect the user with anything that that hashtag was used on, in this instance a boxing match.
     However, hashtags in recent years have been used to start a public dialogue on certain issues and debates, such as the hashtags #blacklivesmatter or #baltimoreuprising. These hashtags are used to give the people a voice in the controversies surrounding Ferguson, MO and Baltimore, MD. These hashtags have had a tremendous presence on social media producing an activist community in social media. The people that use this hashtag are usually commenting on the current racial issues African-Americans seem to be having with law enforcement. The fact that we are even talking about these trends on social media means they have worked to some degree. We all know nothing can be changed in our physical world through social media. However, it can spark public thought on an issue and be a catalyst for change.

Public Service Announcements Addressing Important Issues

       If you are familiar with television, then it is likely you have encountered a few public service announcements over the years. P.S.A's are usually about social issues such as drug abuse, global warming, energy conservation, and many other topics plaguing society.  These media campaigns are usually designed to confront the issue head on and in a manner that informs the public within 30 seconds to one minute. 
      Public Service Announcement's have had its place in society since the early forties trying to persuade the public into changing or reinforcing their beliefs about a certain topic.Sometimes it is war other times it is drug use, the point of the public service announcement is to make problems of a marginalized community known to the public, such as prisoners or drug addicts. Since there is wide array of public service announcements we could focus on we will take a look at drug abstinence ads as a focal point in explaining public service announcements.
    Since the mid to late nineties meth addiction has become a problem that communities all over the world, particularly in the United States. The Meth Project started in 2005 and has since put out graphic ads to put a spotlight on the problem of meth addiction.

   This ad put out by The Meth Project is exceptionally graphic and is meant to really grab the audiences attention. It features a young girl on the floor looking strung out with a man on top of her. The text reads "!5 Bucks for Sex isn't Normal. But on Meth it is." This ad is particularly graphic because this problem is a growing national concern and it puts the realities of a drug addicts life into a form of visual communication.
While public service announcements are sometimes irritating and graphic (especially when you are watching your favorite show or reading your favorite magazine) they do serve their purpose in society. Without public service announcements certain topics could become unrecognized and worse and effect a higher number of people.

A Look at Satire

      Satire is all around us and is, most of time, presented to us through various media outlets. It attempts to poke fun and seriously criticize certain topics, depending on what type of satire is employed. Satire can operate on a variety of platforms, and can effect one's view on a certain situation, political event, social concerns, etc. This week we will look at satire and break it down a bit, showing certain types and categories of satire.
      Satire has many faces in a world that is ever changing, the point of satire, according to its definition, diminishes or derogates a subject by making the problem or person look ridiculous. The purpose is criticize in order to shame the subject into reform. While usually satire itself does not do the reform, but it serves as a catalyst to some issues to get the people thinking about a certain problem.
     The first type of satire we will examine is Horatian satire. The name Horacian come from the ancient Roman satirist Horace. This type of satire is often meant to be gentle,urbane, and leave the reader or audience smiling. It attempts to correct the issue addressed through gentle sympathetic laughter and is often playful as seen in this example.

In this example, criminals who appear to be some sort of burglars or thief's are looking at wanted mugshots. While looking at mugshots, the criminals reminisce about a time when they were on the wanted posters instead of the law enforcement being on the poster. This communicates that in these times the police and authority seem to be more menacing than the criminals themselves.
This form of satire, as seen, is not meant to be that offensive, however, the next form of satire is not meant to be so palatable.
The second type of satire we will examine is Juvenalian satire. This name juvenalian comes from the ancient Roman satirist Juvenal. This type of satire is meant to really grab the reader. Often juvenalian satire seeks to be bitter, biting, and angry, often presenting the audience with moral indignation. In this example juvenalian satire is employed.

In this example, healthcare is the issue that is being addressed.
The patient is caught in a catch 22 as the insurance he has does not cover his ailment unless he does not have it. So basically his insurance covers certain ailments as long as he does not have the ailment. If he does he is basically screwed.
This kind of satire is biting because it seriously criticizes the healthcare industry by making a mockery of it in this cartoon.
    Satire has been a way that the people deal with injustices and things they feel are not handled correctly. Satire employs four techniques that have been used for millennia. The first technique is exaggeration which is meant to enlarge or represent something beyond its normalcy. The second is incongruity which resents things that are out of place. The third being reversal which is presenting the opposite of the status quo. The final technique employed by satirists is parody which is to imitate the techniques and/or style of something or someone. Since the ancient times with Horace and Juvenal people have been using satire as way to poke fun at and sometimes insult the powers that be. Satire employs four techniques that have been used for millennia.