Welcome to U75102 Understanding Media Please pick up a copy of the Questionnaire.

Derren Brown: Messiah

Why is Derren Brown like an average pair of underpants?

Preface  Objective: Intro. to Media Studies  Media Technologies  Media Examples  Media Theories

Overview  Strand 1: Approaches to Media: meaning, consume, power  Strand 2: Case Study of the Media: internet + McLuhan

Website

Assessment  Module Forum (50%), due Week 6.  Case Study (50%), due Week 12. Any Questions?

The Meanings of ‘Media’  individually write down a definition for the word ‘media’;  in pairs compare your definitions noting any differences and similarities;  in pairs write a new/ different definition.

The Meanings of ‘Media’  collect an exercise sheet each  groups of three, 15 mins (i) How many different ways is the word ‘media’ used. Make a list and write a rough definition of each. (ii) Work out what, if anything, all the uses have in common.

The Meanings of ‘Media’  difficult: differences and similarities  ‘media’: many related meanings  no ‘correct’ way to arrange them

The Meanings of ‘Media’ Etymology: middle  example: height (#9) 1. Media as vehicles  example: art materials (#3) 2. Media as environments  example: air (#8) Any Questions?

Strand 1: Media as Vehicles  Meaning  Genre  Narrative  Representation  Audiences  Power  New media in a new world  Branding  Celebrity

Strand 2: Media as Environments 1. Media as Environments 2. Background to McLuhan 3. McLuhan’s Ideas 4. How to Read McLuhan 5. Why Read McLuhan

1. Media as Environments  How do different media change the nature of society, culture and individuals?  Introduction to McLuhan…

2. McLuhan’s Background  Herbert Marshall McLuhan,  Canadian professor of English literature, interested in communication  1960s media celebrity: Beatles, Time, Playboy, Woody Allen

3. McLuhan’s Ideas  the effects of technology on individuals and society  Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964)  The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects (1967)

“The Medium is the Message”

The Medium as Extension “All media are extensions of some human faculty – psychic or physical” (McLuhan 1967, p. 26)  wheel, book, clothing, computer (electric circuitry)

The Medium as Environment “Any technology or extension of man creates a new environment” (McLuhan 1969, p. 31) “Any understanding of social and cultural change is impossible without a knowledge of the way media work as environments.” (McLuhan 1967, p. 26)

Two Examples  Clothing: extension + environment  Television: extension + environment  “The medium is the message”

4. How to Read McLuhan  multiple viewpoints, no theories  explain > explore  difficult but rewarding  a prompt to thought  Medium is the Massage  Levinson (1999) + Gordon (1997)

5. Why Read McLuhan?  invented Media Studies  new media  probe approach  style and timing Any Questions?

Module Forum  Roman forum  modern fora  Module Forum  ‘Using the Module Forum’…

Module Forum (p. 14)  don’t use own name  me your online name:  try out Misc. Seminar first?  10 posts required (not Misc.)  fulfil Assessment Criteria…

Module Forum  engage  apply  interact  anonymous

Module Forum “Forum post of the week” For example… Question: What are people's first impressions of McLuhan? Do his ideas sound interesting? Difficult? Odd?

My first impression was that the real intelligence of McLuhan's ideas were in peeling back the complexity of life and stripping it down to very simple ideas. I would say that he managed to explain complex ideas so simply and that should not be mistaken for pointing out the obvious. Like '123456' I was initially taken aback by the book, finding it an odd read and unsure how to approach it. This changed as I engaged with the book - which is the real uniqueness of McLuhan, very few authors or academics can write in such a way that you have to think about what they write. There is no way of just skimming through his book. You have to apply yourself and make your own mind up. Like 'mim' I really was surprised by how forward- thinking his theories were and how accurate they have proved to be. Any Questions?

Why is Derren Brown like an average pair of underpants?

Because they are both ‘mediums’  in the middle  manipulation by medium  as vehicles and environments  objective: awareness

The Matrix (1999)

Before You Leave  return Questionnaire Before Next Week  Investigate the Handbook via Moodle  browse the Website  obtain Branston & Stafford  read Ch. 1 of B&S on ‘Approaching Media Texts’  register on forum + Rachel your name