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Private Notes
The internet is an archive, but it may not be all that great at it. Sure, it saves any media we can imagine (text, photographs, films, etc). But what about that stuff FROM the network? Status updates, tweets, image macros... they seem to disappear into the ether. Are they not worth as much to us as physical objects? We archive things so we can remember them, so is this network ephemera not worth remembering?
Watching our favorite TV shows is one of the most fundamental ways we entertain ourselves. And for most of TV history, these stories were simple and episodic: you could watch one episode when it aired, and it was a self-contained story. But now that we have the ability to find the whole back- catalogue of a show online, is it changing the way TV show are CREATED? Not only can people catch up without waiting for a DVD release, but entire seasons are released and consumed in a single weekend (thanks Netflix!) How might that be changing the types of stories we're being told?
Popular media generally has a problem with representation. Fictional worlds are often designed by and for straight white males, and this can subtly affect how audiences view the real world. Comics are no exception, portraying muscular white males, or exaggerated expressions of the female form. But those traditions are being broken. One of the most exciting new characters breaking this mold is the new Ms. Marvel: Kamala Khan. Kamala is a teenage Pakistani-American muslim girl, a far cry from the comic pantheon of Captain Americas and Supermans. So is Kamala a step in the right direction for media representation?
ou may have heard of the Jawbone, Fitbit, Nike Fuelband or one of the myriad of other wearable self-tracking gadgets. Heck, you might even be wearing one right now! These gadgets help track everything from hours slept, calories consumed, to number of steps taken in a given day. But can they actually make you healthy??? Sure they provide us with tons of data about our bodies, but what do we DO with all that information?! Is it just about the knowing? Or does this actually motivate us to change and enhance our behavior? And if it does, can that be a bad thing?
First of all, spoilers. MASSIVE SPOILERS! How I Met Your Mother is a popular sitcom that has been running 9 years, teasing its audience the whole long way with the riddle of the identity of THE MOTHER. But with its recent finale and the mystery resolved, the reaction was mixed. Did Ted end up with who he was meant to all along? Or did the creators pull a fast one, and produce an ending that was unearned? With TV audiences notoriously fickle, TV producers must consider a responsibility to the fans, and balance that with making the show they want. So was the ending of HIMYM a success or failure?
It's easy to make a bad movie. Budget, talent, time, know-how... there are so many factors that can potentially sink a film. But every once in a while, a movie is so terrible, such an utter failure, that it earns the designation "SO BAD IT'S GOOD". These bizarre entities touch upon our schadenfreude, and allow us to share and celebrate these monstrosities of filmmaking. Troll 2, The Room, and Plan 9 From Outerspace are both horrific and weirdly enjoyable, even becoming cults classics. But can these So-Bad-It's-Good films be created ON PURPOSE?
CHANGE YO PASSWORDS! The recent Heartbleed bug was, for many, just another reminder that our information will never be secure on the internet. We feel vulnerable and hopeless in the face of a long string of privacy concerns, and many argue that this is an inevitable result of technology. But since our culture has wholly jumped on the digital bandwagon, do we as individuals truly CHOOSE to sacrifice our privacy? Or maybe the better question is, how much do we even choose to use technology?
What is THE FUTURE of Fandoms? Excited, interested, and devoted to a piece of the world, fandoms have an ever growing presence and power in our culture. But how will that power morph in the coming decades? Will fans be able to control the media they celebrate? Will fan-created works and the argument of Fair Use alter copyright law? Will fandoms find a place in politics and government?
SPOILERS FOR ORPHAN BLACK AHEAD... OK, so "Orphan Black" features clones brilliantly portrayed by Tatiana Maslany, and while watching their search for truth, we began to think: are we ALL clones? Hold up- we're not talking about sci-fi dystopia, but rather the concept of SIMULACRUM. "Orphan Black" seems to be a perfect illustration of the simulacrum, aka a copy without reference to an original. We see simulacra in pop art, in religion, even Disney World, but does going down this rabbit hole lead us to OURSELVES?
An Idea Channel episode ABOUT Idea Channel? It was inevitable, I guess. Since we've reach our one-hundredth(ish) episode, we thought'd we'd turn the microscope on ourselves, and talk about what we hope IC is accomplishing. What ARE we trying to do here? Who is the show inspired by? And through all this exclaiming, dissecting, and over thinking, are we SUCCEEDING?
You may have seen our April Fools video... sorry for disappointing you back then when we didn't have an actual discussion about IKEA and the human condition. But now we're doing it for real!!!! While a huge corporate entity may not be the most likely place to find discussion points for the human condition, we're going for it anyway. For example, what is "The IKEA Effect"? What is it about building your own furniture that is so satisfying (or frustrating)? And those stores... oh, we can undoubtedly find some metaphors in their labyrinthine layouts. So what DOES Ikea say about the human condition?
The past 15 years have produced a pantsload of superhero films. It's hard to even remember a time before Batman, Spiderman, and Captain America dominated the summer box office. So are movie studios just lazy and out of ideas? Or is something else going on? Superheroes are authority figures who put their world in order. They are ALSO the products of the culture from which they originate. So what does it say about our cultural state of affairs that we willingly consume 6+ superhero flicks a year?
The views discussed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the views of PBS or its member stations. All thoughts and opinions presented are the province of Mike Rugnetta.
Is the internet a public utility? No. Should it be? That's an interesting question. The Internet, as we've said many a time, is a glorious series of tubes, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) sell us access to those tubes. But the FCC is considering a new Two Tiered system, in which some companies could pay ISPs for faster delivery. This topic (aka Net Neutrality) has made us think about the important role the internet plays in our lives. Is internet access so important that it should be classified as a public utility or common carrier, like water & electricity, or public buses and subways?
Do you worry about your vacuum? Not in the way where you're concerned about breaking a valuable object - but in an emotional, empathetic concern for its being? If so, then you're primed for today's discussion about the wellbeing of robots! We can personify objects, assigning them human qualities, but will technology get to a point where it DESERVES these moral concerns? Can you imagine a day when you will empathize with your computer or care if it lives or dies?
Spoilers can be infuriating because they can ruin the suspense in a piece of media. But some people like them, actually preferring to have the endings divulged. What camp are you in? Why aren't there better guidelines regarding spoilers? We caught up with some of our favorite Youtubers at Vidcon and got their two cents...then they gave us their sixth sense and we found out Bruce Willis was...
The recent excitement over the World Cup made us think: could a competitive sporting event ever replace war? It's easy to see the similarity between games and warfare: both often involve strategy, cunning, and even (or especially) national pride. Plus, sports are not totally without value in terms of international relations: history has shown that politically charged soccer games and "ping-pong policy" can impact diplomacy. But could a match substitute true combat, and the results honored as definitive during global discord?
COMICON SEASON IS UPON US!! Tens of thousands of fans will fill convention centers, stand in endless lines, and many will even dress up as their favorite fictional characters (aka Cosplay). Why, you might ask, do people cosplay? Well, they cosplay to celebrate a character, to make an awesome costume, to BE awesome, and for some, maybe even to BECOME the character. This embodiment of a character is essentially a performance, so does that make cosplay theater?! Can theater exist without directors, scripts, or even a stage??!!
What to say about Frozen that hasn't been said… well let's get meta and talk about the fact that so much has been said about Frozen!! Seriously, people LOVE analyzing and critiquing this movie. It's inspired dozens of think-pieces, covering everything from its portrayal of gender roles, to cultural appropriation, to the definition of true love. Frozen, and its complexity, has touched something in viewers. Could it be its morphing of traditional fairy tale tropes?
We consider ourselves natives of INTERNETLAND, which made us wonder if there's such a thing as an internet dialect. Not pronunciation, per se (since we type in these here parts), but a common way of communicating through word choice, vocabulary, and how these words are arranged and used. So what is Standard Internet Speak? Acronyms, emoticons, and hashtags? Purposeful misspellings and abbreviations? IS IT EVEN A THING?!?!?
When you truly love a piece of media, be it a TV series, movie, song, or YouTube Channel, you want it to be remembered and enjoyed in a tender and specific way. After all, this media entity allows us to communicate with each other through a mutual reference point, as well as better understand the world around us through its lens. Today, Mike talks directly to his favorite and most prized childhood show, and explores our deepest connections to the media we love.
There's a lot to talk about when discussing the anime series Kill la Kill. If you're not familiar with the show, the lead character, Ryuko Matoi, searches for her father's murderer; there's an academy ruled by a powerful student council; and there's a class system where more powerful students wear extraterrestrial clothing which give them special powers… you should just watch it. It's these uniforms, called Goku, that are particularly interesting, and specifically how the wearers unitize them. Could Goku be considered technology? And how does FASCISM play a role in all this?!?!
By now, EVERYONE knows about the Ice Bucket Challenge (unless you've somehow avoided contact with the internet for the past month). While it has been incredibly successful in terms of dollars raised, lots of the videos fail to mention donations, and many people question the value of the campaign. Are these videos "slacktivism", helping only superficially with a cause? What value do our social posts really have?
Takin' a little break to enjoy summer weather, but never fear, we wouldn't leave you with NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT!!! So… here are a couple thoughts to keep your brain warm until we're back next week. No. 1: Does an object need to have no utilitarian use to be art? No. 2: Is The Daily Show a better news program than traditional evening news?
What is 'Popular Culture'? Despite what the term may lead you to think, it is NOT just media that is numerically popular! Tom Waits most certainly is part of popular culture, regardless of his ZERO billboard hits. So what are the qualifications for 'Pop Culture'? And where the heck does the internet come into play in all this?
You've continued talking, and we're still listening!!! Even though each week we move on to new episodes, the comment sections of our old videos just keep on keepin' on! We LOVE that you're still wanting to discuss and deliberate old topics, and today, we're going to respond! So let's go back to our Top 5 most popular episodes ever continue the conversation!
Whether you pronounce "gif" with a hard or a soft “G”, I think we can all agree that they're a good/jood way to find entertainment and expression on the internet. So much so that they've cast their influence onto music videos, a format that heavily relies on both entertainment and expression. We're trying a new format this week by using Youtube's nifty Playlist feature to bring you some of the internet's most interesting GIF-themed music videos. Which videos made the list? And how do their visual styles reflect gif-culture?
Peppers are the essence of hot sauce, and hot sauce is the essence of spicy. You might be a hot sauce lover, but how much thought have you given their labels? If you've ever taken a second to examine them, you might notice some patterns and similarities amongst them. What does this say about Americans' attitude towards hot sauces, or even food in general?
The recent matter of Sam Pepper's "social experiment" videos has inspired a lot of discussion and debate. Here at Idea Channel, we thought we'd take this opportunity to talk in this video not specifically about Sam Pepper, but about media in general, and it's ability to comment on serious social issues. If Sam Pepper's video successfully critiqued assault, then why all the uproar? If media can be potentially hurtful, then how can we best comment on social issues?
Are videogames actually about their mechanics? As we play games over and over again, we spend a lot of time getting pretty darn good at the mechanics and gameplay. Each shot fired and potion consumed engrosses us more and more, but does that engrossing nature work against the STORY, the NARRATIVE, and maybe the bigger picture of what the game is (supposedly) about? Do we care more about what we do, instead of what happens? And SHOULD the interaction be more important than the message?
Arguing on the internet, everyone’s favorite pastime! But unfortunately, some people don’t do it very well — or at least they could do it better. You owe it to them (and yourself!) to help them out and make their claims and/or arguments less fallacious. In doing so, you’ll increase the quality of discourse between the both of you, perhaps even helping you finally figure out DEEP QUESTIONS like “WHAT IS LOVE” and “WHY IS SRIRACHA SO DANG TASTY.” Educate yourself and your fellow internet commenters in this week’s Idea Channel episode.
Halloween is almost here, and 'tis the season for copious horror movie viewing!! Lots of awesome smart people have talked about the reasons we love horror films. But why do we like to watch horror films with others? There seems to be a social nature to horror viewing, way more than other genres. It's gotta be more than just safety in numbers, right? And does this apply just to movies, or does this social experience of horror seep into other aspects of culture?...
"This is literally the best episode of Idea Channel EVER." Is it? Or are we just continuing the cultural trend of hyperbole? (side note: the episode is pretty gosh darn enjoyable) It's like EVERY SINGLE THING people describe is AWESOME and AMAZING and THE BEST. We're all seemingly competing to have the ultimate meaningful experiences, so how are we supposed to articulate genuine sentiment? I mean it's THE WORST... I cannot even. Literally, I can't even find words to accurately describe the limits to our vocabulary and our ability to express true enthusiasm. So where does our vernacular develop from here?
Here at Idea Channel we enjoy thinking about things, so it was inevitable we'd start thinking about... thinking. Or rather, what were philosophers were really thinking when they came up with with famous phrases? Many are so overused, the colloquial meanings morph over time. Does "hell is other people" really mean what you think it means?! Are you even using these quotes correctly?! This episode tries to find out the original meanings of 3 thoughtful thoughts!
Adult Swim's "Too Many Cooks" is awesome, bizarre, and like so many other things on the internet, ABSURD. The video is perfectly suited for internet obsession, because the internet LOVES it some meaningless and irrational content. So how does this meaningless video connect to Sisyphus, Albert Camus, and Alex from Target?!
Check your cynicism at the door!! We're talkin' bout Taylor Swift today. The mega-popstar seems to be OWNING the music industry lately, with her killer new album 1989, her decreeing of Spotify's deficiency, and her general awesomeness and authenticity. Connected to that authenticity, much has been noted about Swift writing her own music, so could her power of the pen be the very source of her industrial power?!
You guys REALLY like the Over the Garden Wall series on Cartoon Network (as indicated by all your comments and tweets). WE DO TOO!!! Wirt and Greg's journey to find their way home through The Unknown makes for not just a great show, but a great exploration into the idea of FAITH in the face of fear. The show and its two central characters seem to perfectly illustrate cynicism and optimism. So what can we learn from the brothers (as well as Beatrice and their frog) about faith and facing the impossible?
This episode is about glorious morning coffee. Or more specifically, about our time-tested morning routines. Everybody has their morning routine that they rely on and cling to dearly. The simple acts of brewing coffee, showering, and whatever else you do, makes that first act of climbing out of bed easier. The comfort and familiarity of those repeated actions give us a sense of ownership, and cause us to self identify with these simple set of actions. So what is it about these routines that make them so important to us?
There's lots of... um... let's say "discussion" on the web, and I think we can all agree that it's not always constructive. You may have seen our Fallacies episode, in which we tried to help internet arguers make more solid, logical arguments. So to kick off the new year, we're offering a few more ideas to help you argue better on the internet in 2015!
The recent release of The Interview could have been a movie unto itself (possibly a better movie), involving hackers, a secretive foreign nation, an inept corporation and the United States government. After the Sony leaks, the FBI said North Korean hackers were to blame, and Obama put sanctions into place in response. FOREIGN POLICY was affected by this cyberattack!! But was North Korea really the one responsible? And if it wasn't behind the leak, and we can't identify our attackers, what the heck does that mean for the 21st century?!!
"Serial", the hugely popular podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig, has prompted much discussion and debate about the murder case of Hae Min Lee and convicted Adnan Syed, who is currently serving a life sentence. Here at Idea Channel, besides our fascination with the case, the podcast got us thinking about objectivism. There is a widely held expectation that the law and journalism must be objective. But is that really possible? And does Serial show us that impossibility?
Welcome to PART DEUX of our discussion of "Serial", the insanely popular podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig. Last week we discussed objectivity in the law, and this week we're turning our attention to objectivity in journalism. Journalists have been tasked with objective reporting for decades, but is that a realistic goal? Can any journalist be TRUELY objective? Is "Serial" an example of failed objectivism, or is it a reminder of its impossibility?
Diamonds are forever, and so is posting to the internet. But sometimes this permanent archive of our lives can come back to haunt us. Some argue that individuals should have the right to delete their pasts, in line with the concept of 'right to oblivion'. Others claim this removal is a form of censorship. So do we have a right to be forgotten?
FAN FICTION! The wonderful domain of art and creativity where all of our dreams about all of our favorite characters come true. Harry and Draco, Luigi and Peach, and more recently Korra and Asami! Korrasami, colloquially, is a popular fandom that has sprung up in the wake of The Legend of Korra. It's popularity may be indebted to a lot of different factors, but, more importantly, it's popularity demonstrates the NEED and WANT for meaningful female relationships in media! Join Mike in this week's Idea Channel as he goes into this and more. And Happy Valentine's!
When someone puts on makeup there is no easy way to know why they've done it. Or why they've made the decisions they have about their makeup. Answers to those questions might not even be clear to the makeup wearer themselves! After a very long history of putting stuff on our bodies to accentuate our features, cosmetics–both the product and the idea–has taken on a good amount of baggage. So, its tough to know... Is it for the person wearing it? It is for the people who are going to see the person wearing it? It is for one by way of the other? This episode of Idea Channel approaches some of those questions, inspired by Beauty and Makeup Tutorials found on YouTube and the tradition of person-to-person sharing of makeup knowledge.
It’s time to come in from the cold and put on your thinking cap, because we have THREE new ideas for you to consider this week. 1) What’s so bad about being bored? 2) Why are Americans so sensitive? and 3) Is that really you on the other side of the teleporter?
The Sims have always allowed for characters to choose their sexual orientation, but what about their gender? Why is it that after all these years it's still not possible to choose an option other than guy or girl, male or female? And is gender something we are, or perform? Judith Butler would say NO. But why?
Okay, Mars One is decidedly cool, but also kind of crazy right? Nearly everyone with clout in the scientific community has spoken with extreme skepticism about the project, despite Mars One founder Bas Lansdorp’s overwhelming confidence in his mission. To which we at Idea Channel say… Sure! BUT WHY? Lansdorp wants to make Mars One one of the biggest broadcast spectacles of all time, and in a world of underfunded space programs, maybe this is actually the way we get to colonize space! Is framing colonization as entertainment our key to the stars?
