G205 - Berger Group Work – Discussion questions

Ch 1. – What is “teleculture”? How does it work and, according to Berger, what are some problems with it? How can you relate your discussion of “teleculture” to the statistics about class division and access to wealth on page 20? In other words, what does Berger say about the acquisition of wealth and knowledge?

Ch. 2 – In this chapter we learn that there are multiple ways of defining “culture.” Come up with at least two (or more) different ways in which Berger explains “culture.” Be sure to define them the best that you can. What are the differences and similarities in these meanings? What is post-modernity? How is this concept different from Modernity (which we learned about in the first few weeks while reading Peiss)?

Ch. 3 – What is the Laswell formula (LF)? How does it work? What is Berger’s critique of the LF? How do these approaches help you to understand how advertising works? What is metaphor and metonymy, how do they work, and how is metonymy related to branding?

Ch. 4 – Chapter 4 is full of statistics about viewers and audiences. Discuss some of the most surprising statistics and why these do or do not surprise you. What is “personality” and how are we alienated? What impact does the increasing role of technology and advertising play in our identities and in our inter-personal relationships? Do you know any “branded” individuals? What are the perceptual processes by which consumers interpret images, and how much leeway do consumers have to interpret freely? How does media structure our daily lives, including how we spend and think about our time? How is identity (Berger calls it “personality”) represented in marketing communication and how has this changed recently?

Ch. 5 – Clearly “sex sells,” so the question remains, how does it do that? What definitions of sex and sexuality are used in this chapter? How does Berger understand “human sexuality” and how is HS related to advertising? (Please find several relationships.) Please discuss the critical terms “sexuality” and “heteronormative” in relationship to this chapter (http://g205atiu.wordpress.com/critical-terms/). How do our critical terms add to the discussion in chapter 5? Peiss explained how women came to be associated with advertising. What does Berger have to say about that subject? Do you have any criticisms for the author in relation to the way in which he approached sexuality?

Ch. 6 – If, as experts say, advertising has no measurable effect on people……Why might Berger have focused one chapter solely on political commercials? Who is the target audience for these commercials? Find a political ad from the historical 2008 campaign (on your machine or mine) and decide which of the 4 stages the campaigners might have been in at the time the commercial was made. What role did commercials play in the 2008 election in terms of delineating “essential differences” between candidates? How does this relate to “metaphor and metonymy” from chapter 4.

HMWK Question #2: Advertising is seemingly innocuous, such that experts cannot say how or why advertising is effective. How do we account for the enormous amounts of money spent each year on advertising and commercials? Briefly review at least three ways in which Berger claims advertising affects consumers. In addition to Berger’s ideas, please be sure to tell me what you think about this subject….When does advertising “work” its “magic” on you and when doesn’t it? Have you ever bought a product based solely upon advertising? (I bought the HTC evo 4G!!)