Final Blog

For my “proposing a solution” paper, I decided to target the problem of artists failing to consider how others are affected as they push past boundaries in the name of “self-expression.” My main example was the recent performance by Adam Lambert at the AMA’s. To define the problem, I discussed how offensive or inappropriate actions on a live, national TV broadcast could not only jeopardize the artist’s reputation and career but the reputation of the network as well as have a negative impact on their fans. In my paper, I wasn’t very clear on who my target audience was. Re-reading it, I kind of alluded to both the artist and the network as the audience. My solution to the problem at hand was for the artist to be aware of who their viewers are and let the network know what they planned to do in their performance. If there were a disagreement, they could work together to devise with a solution, which would still allow the artists to express themselves while maintaining the integrity and reputation of the network. Lambert should have been aware that the AMA’s were being broadcasted on ABC during Sunday night primetime. Had it been a different award show on a network such as MTV, his performance might not have turned in to such a controversy. The audience I am targeting with my new medium is the viewers at home and the networks. The medium is a magazine ad depicting a cute little old grandmother on the couch with her grandchildren watching TV. On the television would be a picture of an artist doing something inappropriate (i.e. grabbing his crotch) with a speech bubble saying “freedom of expression”, and the network’s logo is in the bottom corner. The grandmother and grandchildren have a look of horror on their faces. On the wall is a calendar showing that it is a Sunday night and a clock showing the time is 7pm. Underneath the picture would be the words “what about their freedom of innocence?” The ad appeals to the pathos of the viewers and networks by showing the shocked reactions of the grandmother and grandchildren. It makes the audience realize we don’t want our grandparents and children unexpectedly exposed to such vulgar behavior on a “family friendly” network. With the logo in the bottom corner, it appeals to the ethos of the network. They realize that their credibility as a “family friendly” station is being jeopardized. Lastly, the logos of this ad is shown through the calendar and clock on the wall showing that it is 7pm on a Sunday night, a time when families sit together to watch TV. The logos is that there shouldn’t be something so vulgar and offensive on a primetime network on a Sunday night. I chose to use an ad as my new medium for the mainstream culture because you can really get the basic point of the academic essay in one glance, instead of reading through 4 pages of argument.