Critical Analysis of Media Techniques of Social Movements free essay sample

Critical analysis of media and/or campaigning techniques of social movements and social movement organization In the mass world, we are taking many different actions and campaigns for protecting our rights and our world. Many of campaigns are successful by using mainstream media and alternative media. News media both print and electronic, websites, independently produced documentaries (film, TV and radio) are widely used. By means of media technology; the social issues are best described and presented. I am going to analysis some social campaigns including PETA, Voiceless, Right On Site and Get-Up. I am going to analysis the purpose of these campaigns and their targets to the audiences. I will also look at how they frame the issue and address of using media context to the audiences. Their success and limitation in promoting change will be discussed by comparison. PETA [pic](PETA’s T-shirt on sale) PETA is the short name of People for Ethic Treatment of Animals. We will write a custom essay sample on Critical Analysis of Media Techniques of Social Movements or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is a social organization, with more than 2. 0 million members and supporters, and it is the largest animal rights organization in the world. PETA focuses its attention to animal welfare and protection issues. It rejects the idea of killing animals for food, fashion, by-products, furniture and decoration. It also opposes all forms of speciesism, animal testing; factory farming, and hunting, as well as using of animals in entertainment. (www. peta. org. 2009). We can clearly see what PETA wants to achieve. PETA wants to protect animals. How do I know the purpose? Because their ideas are presented by using internet, news, video clips and images. When people go to PETA’s website, the alternative media are used to express their ideas. These alternative media includes images, Video clips, on-line news, documents, etc. www. peta. org. 2009). The most impressed is images. People may not interest in the topic, but they must be interested in the pictures, the pictures of animals. PETA is telling people that animals are suffering by human desires through these media forms. The visual and auditory contents make people feel and think. What kind of people become the audiences and interacts with them? They are people who are vegetarians, people who love animals, people who have love and a sense of justice. They can be children, adults, or the elderly. In another word, audiences can be anyone who cares about animals. PETA create opportunities for people who willing to help animals. People can choose to be a volunteer or donate money to support campaigns. As volunteers, people can interact with PETA directly, taking social movements such as fight against McDonalds, KFC, looking after stray dogs, feeding animals, be a part of procession, and so on. If people just want to donate money, they can donate online or by post. PETA also have innovative ideas to make social noise. PETA sell its signed T-shirts, Cups, Toys, and Cards, etc. (http://www. peta. org, 2009) the ideas can be taken to daily lives and affects the people around. The website also opens a blog that people can submit comments to PETA. Audiences can supervise the campaign and make personal suggestions or comments. It is a great method of addressing audience. PETA wants telling people we are wrong to kill them selfishly. Their lives are much important than our desire. Though the bloody images and bloody facts, the only thing I am thinking is we are wrong! We should stop our stupid behaviour. Animals have rights to live. [pic] Change [pic] Voiceless [pic] (friendship) By looking at website, I am examine the social organization- Voiceless. Voiceless is an independent non-profit organization to help the animals in Australia. It established by father and daughter team. The aim of this social group is trying to help animals. They try to make non-species is born into a world with a fair chance of living a life (www. voiceless. org. au, 2009) Voiceless is using media technology to show the evidence to audiences though website. Voiceless website is also using alternative media to show the position. The picture of people helping animals, the video clips of Voiceless member’s interview, and sorts of articles are used. People can search a lot of nformation from these media forms. Voiceless is showing a good example of building a good relationship between human and animals though many good images, such as a dog is kissing a lady (Jane, H. 2008) Most of good news is presented in the website. Voiceless is paying more attention to educate people. Therefore, what kind of people is targeted by Voiceless? The most important cro wd is children group. Children are fast learner. Voiceless is trying to change children’s ideas and show good examples to them. Voiceless members went to the primary school, working with student and educate them to treat animal nicely. Voiceless also goes to high school to have a speech. They thought it is important and necessary to educate young generations so that more and more people become animal protector. Voiceless is also communicated with business group. They give the speech to the public, call people stop killing animals and treat animals well. (www. voiceless. org. au/education, 2009)Voiceless is more like to promote the ideas to the public using gentle attitudes. The most impressed campaign by Voiceless is finding lawyers for animals. It sounds creative, inconceivable and excited. People may puzzled why animal need lawyers? The Voiceless website gives audiences the answer. For protecting animals, it is not only treat animal well but also put action to legislation. The law can protect animals by forcemeat. Therefore, Voiceless creates networks of leading lawyers, politicians and academics to influence law and public policy. Voiceless becomes one of the professional associations of using legal voice to protect animals in Australia (http://www. voiceless. org. au/Law, 2009). Voiceless calls people to donate money for protecting animals. People can join to be volunteers or donate money. Speech, education, and finding lawyers make Voiceless valuable. Right-On-Site [pic] Rights-On-Site is a social campaign for the 900,000 construction workers across Australia who does not have the same rights in their workplace. Right-On-Site is trying to make all Australian workers equal before the law. Its website provides all the information about Right-On-Site and it also teaches people how to involve (www. rightsonsite. org. au, 2009). As a social campaign of rights, it must have the subject which is construction worker and the object which is equal right. So, the audiences who may be interested in the campaigns are unfair treated construction workers, such as low salaries, fewer holidays, security issue, discrimination at work, etc. It means if you are unfair treated before the law, you can join the campaign to protect your rights. You do not worry about how to take action, Right-On-Site website will teach you by using of media context. Audiences can see the steps and methods from the homepage directly. There are six ways to take action immediately. They are email Kevin Rudd, Sign the petition, email your MP, tell your mates, stay informed and watch a video. Audiences can join into the campaign and interact with it (http://www. rightsonsite. org. au, 2009). The more people involved, the stronger voice will express. The stronger voice expressed the better life campaigners will have. Therefore, it is a big interaction between audiences and campaigns. Right-On-Site has strong framing of the issue. Audiences and campaigner can use the media tool from website. You can download the Right-On-Site logo, stick up a poster, spread the word, and download a sticker and a bumper sticker. Workers can have their own campaign of using these media tools. It is the easies way and effective method to oppose the injustice. On website, there are many images to show what actions are, for example, the images of action out of the Adelaide Ministers Meeting in 3rd of April 2009. Audiences can directly see people are holding the banner which writes â€Å"One law for all. Scrap the ABCC now† (D. Noonan, 2009). What is ABC? From the research of ABC online, it is Australian Building and Construction Commissioner. Right-On-Site website gives audiences the evidence of ABCC’s inequitable conduct. The video clips show the best evidence of individual person’s unfair work environment. Right-On-Site is telling people the unfair truth. (http://www. rightsonsite. org. au, 2009)The campaign they are doing is helping those people to get the same right before law. More actions, more hope! [pic] Get-Up [pic] Get-Up is an independent, public community supporting organisation. It gives Australians opportunities to get involved to the social issues and hold right to supervise politicians on important issues. Whether it is a big issue or small issue, Get-Up members take action to target and coordinate it. Get-Up does not belong to any particular party, but aims to create an accountable and progressive parliament of fairness economy and social environment. It is non-profit organization; it progresses by donations (https://www. getup. org. au, 2009). From its website, many issues are paid attention, such as human right, economic fairness, Climate issue, ban the bomb, etc. It focuses many areas. Currently, it is running a campaign called fuel watch. We could know the purpose from the name which is about fuel price based on daily change. Looking at the video clip, the most impressed talks are â€Å"What’s the price for tomorrow? † â€Å"†¦. ery expensive† The video cut something down, but highlight the key-expensive. The video clips give audience a direct answer why we want to take action, because the future is expensive (www. getup. org. au/campaign/FuelWatchid=357, 2009). How can people involve into it? One way is join in online for free, another way is donatin g. So, what kinds of people are interested in this campaign? They may people who have cars. The fuel prize can affect their expense. More they pay for fuel, less money for life. For helping people, Get-Up calls on the Government to invest in real solutions to the petrol crisis instead of useless verbal assurances. By the way, Get-Up already reached its first target of $50,000; it needs people get going to raise $75,000. It said: TARGET: $75,000 Lets get this ad on air! (www. getup. org. au/campaign/FuelWatch=357, 2009) The question I may ask: does the advertisement on air can really help? No one knows answer until the day comes. The campaign is really near our life. We will watch how the campaign goes. The good news is they build up blog so that people can interact with them. The ideas will addressed by public. Get-Up is calling people to get up. Comparison From above, I analysis four movement are PETA, Voiceless, Right-On-Site and Get-Up. Four campaigns have the same purpose which is right, but the differences are PETA and Voiceless are claiming animal rights; Right-On-Site and Get-Up are claiming human rights. PETA and Voiceless are the same to call people stop any forms of killing, the animals should be protected. But, their focuses are different. PETA is focusing on fur production and unfair treatment of poultry. Voiceless is just focusing on unfair treatment of animals. Right-On-Site and Get-Up are same to claim the human right. But their focuses are totally different. Right-On-Site is just focusing unfairness treatment of construction workers. Get-Up are widely focusing on any of unfair issues, which means it is an issue pocket. Four campaigns have different audiences. PETA and Voiceless have almost the same audiences who care about animals, love animals. The audiences of Right-On-Site are construction workers and unfair treated workers. Get-Up may have the largest number of audiences; because it presents the human right which close to everyone. So, every person can be audiences if you care about your right, environment and other social problems. Does that means if you have more audiences you are most successful? No, I don’t think so. It depends on the methods of addressing and framing your issue to audiences. For examples, PETA has a large number of audiences all over the world, I determine it is successful because PETA have strong evidence to show what they are doing, what they want to achieve by using images, video clips and articles. We can see it is helping animals. We can see our money is worth. On another hand, Get-Up has many audiences, but I determine it failed, because it has many issues to tackle, and not enough research and actions to show their aims. It just let people donating, such as 75,000 can get advertisement on the air. If 75,000 have been done, the advertisement can show on the air. What’s the next? Does the government will change the policy just for air advertising? Or government gives Get-Up a promise that they will change if the advertising appears on the air. Get-Up cannot just let people donate without any results. I think Get-Up should tell people what results are after doing donating. In my opinion, I think Right-On-Site is a good example of many social campaigns. It focuses on one thing; protect one right, so it is more professional. It uses many alternative media tool to address audiences. They frame the issue using media forms such as news, TV. The best part is teaching people how to involve for free or get help. Audiences are clearly known what they want to achieve. Voiceless is a good social campaign but not strong mentioned. I think because of the week evidences. From its website, we can see the pictures of good relationship between human and animals, but less pictures of animal suffering. So, when people see it, people do not have strong feelings. Comparing with PETA, it still needs lots of improvement. By the way, four campaigns are all have some innovations. Get-Up sale the logo products and build blog on its website, Voiceless take creative action which find lawyers for animals, Right-On-Site create media tool to help people who want taking movements, Get-Up is a big fruit salad which all people can see the issues and involved. In conclusion, all social campaigns are expressing people’s ideas about society issues. The media technology provides us a perfect environment to claim our opinions. Images, TV, News, Magazines, Internet recourses help us to know about the issue and take actions. These campaigns interact with everyone who cares about our world. Our world is called for change, change to a fair, peaceful, and beautiful world. Reference: D. Noonan, 2009. Action outside the Adelaide Ministers Meeting, viewed at website http://www. rightsonsite. org. au/file. php? file=/adelaide_mm. html Fuel Watch video clip, electronic sources of information, viewed 15th April 2009 www. getup. org. au/campaign/FuelWatch=357 Jane. H, 2008 Heavenly Creatures, Sunday Telegraph Magazine, viewed at website http://www. voiceless. org. au/About_Us/Voiceless_in_Print_2008/Heavenly_Creatures. html PETA website, electronic sources of information, viewed 10th April 2009 http://www. eta. org/ PETA’s Blog, electronic sources of information, viewed 10th of April 2009 http://blog. peta. org/ Right-On-site website, electronic sources of information, viewed 12th April 2009 http://www. rightsonsite. org. au/ http://www. rightsonsite. org. au/file. php? file=/take_action. html http://www. rightsonsite. org. au/file. php? file=/campaign_tools. html Voicele ss website, electronic sources of information, viewed at 13th of April 2009 http://www. voiceless. org. au/ http://www. voiceless. org. au/Education/Misc/Students_Making_a_Difference. html http://www. voiceless. org. au/Law