Link to NBC News Segment About Target

This link will bring you the news segment about Target we viewed in class.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/target-ditches-gendered-labels-toys-home-entertainment-n406741

Audiences negotiate meaning notes

2. Audiences negotiate meaning

·         The meaning of any media product is not created solely by its producers but is, instead, collaboration between them and the audience – which means that different audiences can take away different meanings from the same product.

·         Media literacy encourages us to understand how individual factors, such as age, gender; race and social status affect our interpretations of media.

Ask:                               

How might different people see this media product differently?

How does this make you feel, based on how similar or different you are from the people portrayed in the media product?

Media Response #3

Read the article below and write a response sharing your position. Do you agree or disagree with Target's decision to remove gender based labeling? Explain why.

Target to remove gender-based labeling

USA TODAY NETWORKJennifer Calfas, USA TODAY6:56 p.m. EDT August 9, 2015

Kids visiting Target will no longer have to consider their gender while shopping.

The retailer announced Friday it will start removing gender-based labeling in several departments — including toys, bedding and entertainment — around the store. The company says the decision comes after feedback and suggestions from customers.

"As guests have pointed out, in some departments like toys, home or entertainment, suggesting products by gender is unnecessary," reads a statement from Target. "We heard you, and we agree. Right now, our teams are working across the store to identify areas where we can phase out gender-based signage to help strike a better balance."

The decision will change elements beyond just the signage in these departments. In the children's toys area of the store, Target plans to remove pink, blue, yellow and green paper on the back of the walls to eliminate references or suggestions based on gender.

The company said Target uses signs and displays to make it easier for guests to navigate the store and shop more efficiently. However, gender-based signs in certain areas were no longer necessary.

"We never want guests or their families to feel frustrated or limited by the way things are presented," the statement said.

The move comes after Abi Bechtel, a mother from Ohio, tweeted a photo in June of gender-based signage at a Green, Ohio, Target that sparked a conversation on gender-based signs in the retail stores.

"It stood out to me as a good example of the way our culture tends to view boys and men as the default, normal option and girls and women as the specialized exception," Bechtel told CNN in June.

Customers and Facebook users expressed their views on the statement, signaling satisfaction and disappointment with the retail store.

"This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard," wrote John Wilson. "A boy is a boy and a girl is a girl…and products are specifically made for each."

"Target is not saying that genders don't exist," wrote Amy Severtsen Stanwood. "They are simply recognizing that toys and bedding do not have genders. Mingling superhero action figures with other dolls isn't going to cause children to suddenly question who they are.

Media Task #1

Create a cereal box cover

1, Select a target market (young boys/girls, teen boys/girls, adult men/women)
2. Refer back to all the elements of the media product:

logo
image of the cereal
image of other food with the cereal
slogans
mascot
any other images
ingredients
nutritional information
contests
premiums (prizes or toys that come with the cereal)
activities
health claims
connections to other media content (tie-ins to TV shows or movies, links to websites, etc.

3. On an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, create a design of the front of a cereal box.  

Media are Constructions Notes

         1.     Media are constructions

·         Media products are created by individuals who make conscious and unconscious choices about what to include, what to leave out and how to present what is included.

·         These decisions are based on the creators’ own point of view, which will have been shaped by their opinions, assumptions and biases – as well as media they have been exposed to.

·         As a result of this, media products are never entirely accurate reflections of the real world – even the most objective documentary filmmaker has to decide what footage to use and what to cut, as well as where to put the camera – but we instinctively view many media products as direct representations of what is real.

Ask: Who created this media product? What is its purpose? What assumptions or beliefs do its creators have that are reflected in the content?

Media Responses

You are expected to have completed 2 responses by this time.

#1 For the first article: Choose one of the reasons we study media literacy that you believe is the most important to you. In a paragraph, explain why you believe this reason is the most important to you.

#2 For the second article: Do you believe social media has overall had a more positive or negative effect on the socialization of children? Explain your answer.