Ch 5-6

In fifth chapter, the visual technologies, image reproduction and the copy, the author discussed the relationship between visual technologies and image reproduction and how the relationship affects our life and social meaning. The development of visual technologies such as photography, cinema, television, and digital image techniques influenced the image reproduction. The reproduction of images affects society including the impacts on the way we see the world, and the way we use the image. The meaning and value of image will be produced instead of generated when technology, “invisible editing, manipulation”, comes into play. Sturken & Cartwright declared that “it has always been possible to fake realism in photographs”. The digital technology may change our belief that “seeing is believing”. A question come to mind is that if realism could be fake, what the value of real is. Sturken & Cartwright also discussed the relationships between value, original, and reproduction and asserted that “the easy reproducibility of the unique work of fine art in photographic era has altered the way value is assigned in the art market, but not to the degree we might have anticipated”. They also stated that despite the availability of reproduction, the value of original work still hold in art market. For instance, the reproductions of Mona Lisa’s paintings facilitate the enhancement of the value in the art market and became famous around the world. In addition, Sturken & Cartwright described that because of the reproduction of images, the issue of copyright, ownership and intellectual property have been raised. However, there is not clear distinction between the ownership and copyright and the unclear boundaries create a lot of controversial issues. The question about the nature of creativity and reproducibility is still blurred. I was thinking that if a painting imitates only some portions of Mona Lisa’s painting, will it be see a creative or plagiarism and if the copyright prohibit the reproduction of Mona Lisa’s painting, will the painting become so widespread?

In chapter six, media in everyday life, Sturken & Cartwright discussed how the mass media such as TV, radio, web media affect our everyday life and society. Some people believed that because of the rise of mass media, people lose the sense of community and interpersonal life while others argued that mass media provide more opportunity to connect with community and gain more information about local regions. I think that mass media provide privacy sphere for family and the information access to local issue connect to their communities. Moreover, Sturken & Cartwright also described the relationship between media and public sphere. Through broadcast media such as call in talk show, webcast forums, people participated in the discussion of public issue to create a public sphere that could produce social change. In addition, mass media could affect viewer as a part of national audience thinking to foster the sense of national identify. Furthermore, Sturken & Cartwright also talked about the emergence of webcast media. Without going out, people can access local, national, global information to increase the individual experience of the world simultaneously through webcast media. The experiences of global media help us to connect to geographically distant community and people. In tourism, there are a lot of researches going on how the webcast media influence traveler behavior. For instance, the webcast media like travel blog provide information for tourist to interact with others that influences on their travel decision and travel blog also can record what happen in their journey instantly to share with family or friends. For marketing point of view, I am wondering how business applies the power of web media to marketing their products and services.

chapter 3 & 4

In the chapter three, Sturken & Cartwright discussed how the gaze integrates to the system of power. Photographs and other forms media influence on people’s participation in social norm and sticking to dominant social value. Furthermore, they also talked the relationship between spectatorship and gaze to understand how viewers respond to an image in a historical and cultural context. Sturken & Cartwright asserted that “the unconscious and the symbolic activity that gives rise to representations, linking personal feeling to the world, are considered to be important components of that network” (p.120). The term of Gaze let me link to the idea of “tourist gaze” which is one kind of travel experience that captures the visual perception of a particular place, landscape, or a mega-event through photographs, films, postcards or guidebooks. For travelers, something different to everyday life, something new, worthy seeing site will draw their attention to take photographs to record the journey. The tourist gaze provides important connection to the traveler’s feeling and tourism destinations. In the concept of tourist gaze, taking photographs is also a good way to catch particular live political, celebratory and sporting events that what happens at a specific moment such as US president Obama’s inauguration, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

In chapter four, Sturken & Cartwright discussed the convention of realism and abstract. There is no clear distinction between realism and abstract. The art or representations of realism reflect the truth about society and can reproduce historical meaning in contemporary context. Sturken & Cartwright talked about the role of perspective in visual system to understand that images can perform as not only reproductions of the world but also of ways of seeing and emphasized that “reproducibility in images is not just about the capacity of art works and images to be copied but also about the aim to copy or reproduce the real” (p.143). Furthermore, they discussed the change of convention of realism in the context of digital media. For instance, video game places viewers in interactively creating environment and the players are afforded the experience of seeing as if the eyes of character. Sturken & Cartwright asserted that the term of virtual provides misconception of not real or only exits in imaginations and stated that “virtual reality systems create simulations that attempt to provide an experience in which players feel as if they are physically incorporated into the world on all sensory levels” (P.177). Digital media bring different kinds of perspectives and provide more interactive interactions with viewers. I was wondering comparing to the photographs and films, would the digital media be more realistic.

Possible theme of 853

I am interested in investigating the impacts of virtual experiences of Second Life on tourism decision-making. My intent for the semester project is to do something related to tourism. For the digital remix, I would to make an electronic brochure regarding the tourism destination to introduce the information of the area including activities, accommodations, attractions, restaurants, and shopping. Further, the film is an interactive and effective way to promote destination image of the tourism attractions and to influence tourist decision. I will make a film to provide more detail travel information of the tourism destination since information search is the first step to make a vacation decision. For the virtual exhibition in Second Life, the first though came to my mind is the construction of a special theme hotel room, or a beautiful beach scenery in Second Life. I would like to choose a tourism destination nearby Clemson like Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston. My avatar will be either a tourist on vacation in the beach area or a hotel staff in the front desk.

practices of looking Ch1 & 2

In chapter 1, images, power and politics, we could learn that every day we engage in looking to communicate, interact and create meaning of the world. The social worlds in which we live are full with visual images that are designed to be seen with variety of purpose and intended effect. We negotiate the social worlds through the practice of looking. A single image can convey many diverse meaning to different people. Sturken and Cartwright discussed the image and ideology and stated that “to explore the meaning of image is to recognize that they are produced within dynamics of social power and ideology” (P.22). Practices of looking are tied to ideology which is the system of beliefs and values in all cultures. The meaning of images can dramatically change when those images represent in different cultural and social contexts. In addition, they also discussed the value of image and asserted that “ the work of detecting social, cultural and historical meanings in images often happen without our being aware of the process and is part of the pleasure of looking at images” (P.34). The social value of images is determined by particular social contexts such as monetary, social and political factors. According to the criteria of uniqueness, authenticity and aesthetic style, we give social value to images and art of works. Furthermore, they talked about image icons. Image icons that are historically and contextually produced are perceived to represent universal concepts, emotions and meanings to evoke similar responses in all cultures and in all viewers. What are the important elements of images to become an image icon?

In chapter 2, viewer make meaning, images can generate meanings for viewers yet viewer may interpret the meaning of images differently from how it is intended to been see. Sturken and Cartwright pointed out the meaning of images not only depend upon the work itself but also related to code and convention of image’s structure, interpretations and experiences of viewers, and the exhibited context of the image. They also asserted that “meanings are the product of a complex social interaction among image, viewers, and context” (p55). In addition, Sturken and Cartwright discussed view interpretations: aesthetics and taste. From aesthetics point of view, the art of work bring people pleasure through its beauty, style or the creative and technical virtuosity that is depend on individual interpretations. Sturken and Cartwright say “Taste is informed by experience relating to one’s class, cultural background, education and other aspects of identity” (p.56). They also stated that “the distinctions between different kinds of taste culture have traditionally been understood as the difference between high and low culture” (p.60). However, later in twentieth century the distinction between fine art and popular culture, high and low taste, which involves the elements of hierarchy and value judgment was criticized and became vague. A question to think about is that how low culture gain social value to become high culture. Moreover, Sturken and Cartwright talked about encoding and decoding. Stuart Hall has proposed three positions of decoding of cultural images and artifacts are dominant hegemonic reading, negotiated reading and oppositional reading. A question come to mind is that if an art of work generate oppositional interpretations to viewers, could the work evaluate as a good work or good art?