Customers Suing Wal-Mart

Customers Injured in Crush Suing Wal-Mart


1. Is the information in a given article accurate?
Yes and no. Although police and autopsy reports as well as video footage from the Wal-Mart store are provided, much of the information simply cannot be reported as fact. For instance, the article claims that Jdimytai Damour, the man who was killed in a Long Island Wal-Mart at 5 am on 'Black Friday' was stepped on by hundreds of people, but this is obviously just an approximation. Also, the claims of the two men who were injured at the Wal-Mart location is based on their personal accounts of the story, so there is no way to prove that it is accurate either way.


2. Is there missing context that might undermine the premise of a given article or television segment?
Most of the information is there, but as stated earlier, the article is a bit biased considering most of the statements taken were those of two men who were injured at Wal-Mart and their attorneys. They could be dramatizing the story in order to get more money out of the deal. The article is also clearly holding Wal-Mart responsible for what happened in their store on on Black Friday (which I personally agree with), and even gives suggestions for what could have been done to change the situation.

3. Which experts are quoted--and, in turn, who isn't allowed to give their opinion what does this leave out?
Attorney Kenneth Mollins as well as Lt. Kevin Smith of the Nassau County Police Department are quoted and allowed to give their opinions in this article. Representatives of Wal-Mart, on the other hand, are left out of this piece. This leaves out the other side of the issue in which Wal-Mart could try to explain themselves and defend their reputation.

4. Is the selected media simply reinforcing the status quo on a given topic, even though there may be no reason to assume that it is correct?
Yes, I would say that this article is going along with the status quo that places blame on the police department and the corporation (in this case, that would be Wal-Mart) rather than the individual. It does not seem as if the consumers who actually broke down the doors to Wal-Mart and physically stepped on this man repeatedly are getting blamed. While I do agree that Wal-Mart as well as the Nassau County Police should be held somewhat responsible for this incident, I do think that a bit more blamed should be placed on the consumers who caused this problem.


ADDITIONAL QUESTION. Do news stories try too hard to find someone to place the blame on, rather than tacking the real issue at hand?
In this particular article, I would definitely say yes. Although the article does touch upon the tragedy of the situation, it seemed as if they immediately placed the blame on the police department. It is clear that there were many parties to blame for this tragedy, and perhaps the article should not have been so quick to place blame.

Growing Up Online

To begin, I really enjoyed the video, "Growing Up Online". I have actually seen similar documentaries in the past, but probably enjoyed this one more than the others. I think that the Internet, as great as it is, is a very scary place. I know that when I compare my actions as a 14-year-old as compared with a 14-year-old cousin of mine, the differences in our behaviors are somewhat shocking. While I was pretty innocent and mainly used the Internet to talk to some friends or play games, she is posting half naked pictures of herself and meeting guys on MySpace.

I also found the portion of the video that dealt with the high schooler with an eating disorder. I was so interested in what she had to say that I ended up searching "Pro-Anorexia" blogs and support groups, and was floored with the results. Girls post about how they have not eaten a single ounce of food in eight days and are commended and met with jealous comments. Girls find "fasting buddies", discuss their weight gain and loss, and some even post pictures of themselves. It was a horrifying discovery, and if I were a parent I know that it would frighten me to realize that my child could be having such a hard time, but since he or she has an online support group, the child may feel as though there is no reason to discuss these issues...they already have all the "support" they need.

Basically I think that the web is becoming a progressively more dangerous place, and is attracting younger audiences. However, I am optimistic that as more people learn and understand the dangers of the web, that there will be more restrictions and actions taken to protect minors.

Target audience is a term that I am very familiar with. In a nutshell, it describes the bracket of individuals that marketers and advertisers are trying to reach. College students, the elderly, women, athletes, pet owners, teenage girls, etc. are all examples of target audiences. Datamining is the way in which marketers can get information about a specific target audience. For example, by holding focus groups, taking surveys, and using other forms of promotions to uncover information about a target, advertisers have a better idea of how to market to these audiences.

Advergame is another term that is used to describe gaming sites which use interactive games to advertise a product. I know that when I was younger I always used to go on a website called CandyStand and play themed games that revolved around different candy.

Advertisers can also make connections with social networking sites. For example, Facebook places advertisements based on personal interests. I have my favorite television shows and hobbies listed on my Facebook page, and so the advertisements that I see generally relate to the information that I provide.

More FCC

Within his article, “Who Is Watching the Watchdog”, John Dunbar discusses the theory of “The Spinning Door”, “Frequent Flying”, as well as “What Occurs Behind Closed Doors”.

To begin, “The Spinning Door” theory is based around federal government officials. These people will occasionally leave their jobs with the government and move on to work within the field that they formerly represented. This could potentially pose a problem because the government officials have gained a great deal of inside information from their previous job that they can take with them into their new position. Only officials who held considerably high positions are mandated to follow a set of rules once they begin working in the industry.

Next, Dunbar talks about his theory of “Frequent Flying”. This refers to FCC officials who attend industry events and are then treated like royalty by the companies that they represent. This, of course is an issue as it can be viewed as a form of bribery. After all, it would make sense for these FCC officials to be biased toward a company that treats them like gold as opposed to an ordinary company.

Lastly, “What Occurs Behind Closed Doors” comes into play. Dunbar describes how a great number of companies have private meetings with the FCC to discuss issues such as media ownership rules and regulations. Since there are no records of these particular meetings, the public remains blind to this process and has no way of knowing what is being discussed behind closed doors.

Chairman Powell claims that the industry’s influence over the FCC can sometimes go too far. I agree with this, considering how powerful the media has become. When it comes to advertising, for example, the public ultimately allows themselves to be manipulated and persuaded into purchasing products or services they most likely do not need. Sometimes advertisements can even convince us to adopt a new lifestyle! Although the FCC cannot get rid of advertising, and they have taken measures to protect the public, I still believe that they could do more.

Persuasion in Today's Media

Neuromarketing is definitely at the forefront of advertising today. With so many different forms of advertising being thrown at the consumer every day, a brand needs to do more than simply sell its features and benefits: it needs to tap into emotions. Neuromarketing is a great way to accomplish this, because it can help identify what potential customers respond to and what exactly drives their emotional responses.

In the video, a man was being asked about his emotional connection with white bread. Whether it makes him feel lonely, comforted, happy, sad, etc. Many people in our class found this humorous, but it is actually a legitimate concept. People hold connections and tie in emotions with many different products. I know that I had a difficult time making the “white to wheat” switch, because white bread made me think of childhood, packed lunches, and the comfort of home. If marketers could gain such insight, then they could develop some kind of strategy based on the idea of holding on to childhood with white bread.

On the other hand, if the man who was being questioned in the video responded and claimed that white bread did in fact make him feel lonely, perhaps marketers could take a different approach to tackling the advertising for a white bread campaign. For instance, they could develop some sort of approach that connects the concept of eating white bread with the idea of togetherness and gathering around with friends. They could even link this with the idea I stated earlier. An ad that connects white bread with childhood and eating with friends in the lunchroom, for example, may be a good way to tap into the emotions of a variety of different prospects.

Another subject discussed in the movie that I found interesting and prevalent in society is emotional branding. In a sense, the goal of neuromarketing is to achieve some form of emotional branding. I particularly enjoyed the example of the Cheerios commercial, because it truly is a perfect demonstration of the concept. Since consumers ultimately already know everything there is to know about Cheerios as a product, there is little need to dwell on the details, but rather skip straight to the emotions. I found this to be incredibly effective, and it is something that I, as an advertising major, strive to accomplish in many of the pieces that I work on.

I have found that car commercials sometimes use emotional branding as well. Different cars have different personalities, and these are often made clear. For instance, there was a Chevy commercial on the air in the past couple of years that displayed proud owners with their old Chevy pick-up trucks. These people obviously view this brand as more than just a car, but as a significant part of their lives. The commercial truly showed how by purchasing a Chevy, you are not buying a car, but gaining another member of the family.


A brand like Cadillac, on the other hand, has been reinventing itself over the past year or so. It is now marketing to a younger target, and is being viewed as a sexy, fashionable, and even sporty car. The use of celebrities such as Kate Walsh driving the car connect to the emotions of the viewers, because many would like to adopt the lifestyle of a celebrity, and perhaps they believe that by purchasing a new Cadillac, they are one step closer.


The last topic that I am going to talk about is the idea of creating a culture around a brand. I think that Sprite did an excellent job of this when they related the hip-hop culture to the soft drink, but I do not believe that it is all that relevant anymore. While Sprite may still be connected to hip-hop, I am confident that if one were to poll a group of 15-18 year olds today and ask the first word that came to mind when thinking of Sprite, hip-hop would not be the most common answer.

A current brand that is creating a culture around its image is Apple. I believe that the Apple campaign is incredibly successful, and has truly created a loyal following and culture of individuals who consider themselves to be Mac users. I personally am a Mac user, and I am not going to deny that I feel superior to my PC using friends. I have a sense of pride and loyalty toward Mac and Apple in general. Through the use of the “Mac and PC guys” featured in almost all of their commercials, Apple has given the Mac computer an identity that customers can relate to. While the PC is business like and stuffy, the Mac is cool, fun, and hip. People want to be like Mac. It’s a simple as that.

Wirelessing the World

1. CWNs are community wireless networks. They allow for "...open, freely accessible, non proprietary systems to be built utilizing the buying power and economies of scale within neighborhoods, towns, and cities (228)". In other words, CWNs residents of the community would have the ability to save money and avoid buying into profit-driven business models of wireless communication. The community can ultimately buy bandwidth in bulk and allow all members to share the wireless network. This would eventually allow for community web resources and would even bridge the "digital divide" between Internet resource rich and poor. This would occur since the CWN would be a low cost alternative provided to the entire community. Residents would not need to worry about paying for a high priced wireless Internet provider such as linksys, netgear, etc.

2. Many of the barriers to market entry which ensure that cheaper wireless alternative companies do not compete with the large companies lie within WiMax. Most of the large wireless providers are members of WiMax, and the mission of the organization is, "to promote deployment of broadband wireless access networks by using global standard and certifying interoperability of products and technologies (222)". Interoperability, or the assumption that all competing standards must be pushed aside is a big problem. We do not even realize what else is out there. In addtion, all members of the WiMax group are industry leaders, and therefore the standards that they propose in order for a company to become an established wireless network is naturally a bit high. For instance, the group has established minimum air interface performance, and all products must meet these standards.

The author also explains how service providers try to rope consumers into multi-year agreements that appear to have a discount, but in fact do not save the consumer any money at all. The most company that pops into my mind when I think about this concept is Verizon Fios. The way in which they market their monthly price of $44.95 makes it seem as if the customer is saving so much money, when in fact we are being ripped off. Organizations such as Verizon Fios are also eliminating the competition, since they offer these bundle deals and do not allow us to pursue other potential options for our wireless service.

3. Corporate consolidation and the early buying of technologies result in fewer and fewer companies controlling more and more of the wireless share because many of the major "dinosaur" companies such as Cisco, Netgear, Linksys, 3com, etc. are buying out the newer wireless companies and technologies before consumers even have a chance to discover that these smaller companies exist. The "dinosaurs" lock consumers into a system of lesser quality, but still force them to pay higher prices than their service is worth.

Money as Debt

I found the film, "Money as Debt" to be rather frustrating. In a sense, it told me many of the things I already know, but that I do not usually think about. For instance, it never occurred to me that without debt, we would have no money. I had held the belief that once more people were out of debt, we would ultimately have more money. However, this is clearly not the case.

The video explains that in order to solve this issue, we first need a different conception of money in general. I believe that many people see money as a simple piece of paper that we can always make more of. We take the amount of money that we have individually seriously, but I do not think that we take the concept of the actual printing of money seriously enough. In other words, we do not necessarily care so much where our money comes from, just as long as we have it. It does not occur to us that every loan from the bank is ultimately pushing our country deeper and deeper in debt, as long as we ourselves have the loan, we're happy.

The video explained that when money was created from gold and silver, it was much easier for people to keep tabs on the amount of money they had because they would have to physically locate more gold and silver in order to create more. Now money can be created at anytime, basically.

Grignon challenges us to ask four questions to ourselves and our governments. Number three states asks "How can a money system based on perpetual accelerating growth be used to build a sustainable economy?"

My response is simply that it is not logical to believe that perpetually accelerating growth and sustainability are compatible. There is no way that we can keep growing as we are if we want our economy to remain sustainable...and I think that this is something we are already seeing in our society today. I, of course, do not have all of the answers on how we can possibly change our growth or our sustainability, but I do believe that we need for others to see how this is a problem and that these two factors are incompatible.

FCC

1. Do broadcasters use radio and television to quickly and effectively respond to the local communities needs and interests? Give examples to support your answer.

I personally do not believe that broadcasters use radio and television to quickly and effectively respond to local communities needs and interests. This is because most of the stations are based nationally. For example, television stations such as NBC, ABC, CNN, etc. are all national stations, and are also the most popular. Radio stations are more localized simply because they have to be. One would be unable to receive a national radio signal. Even so, I know that the radio stations I spend my time listening to do not focus much on local issues and public interest.

In my opinion, much of the material that is broadcast is often biased or simply based on a topic that specific communities may or may not be interested in. As Newman and Scott explain, many citizens are now more aware of what is going on than ever before, and they know they regardless of how they feel about a particular cause, it is unlikely to go very far without some form of media that will report their view and message fairly. In order to solve this issue, the authors suggest that we, the average citizens, must demand a new system in which we are able to ask bigger questions and become more aggressive. Within this new system, the people would become the decision makers.

2. Are there certain kinds of local programming (Public Media Values) that should be available, but are not being provided by broadcasters? what could some examples of these be?

I do feel that having a couple of localized television stations could prove to be beneficial. Especially in a particular county during a time of emergency, these stations could provide citizens with only the information that they need to know during their time of need. I do not feel that this type of programming is always necessary, seeing that the popular stations for entertainment purposes do tend to be the national channels. For instance, I know that I rarely watch MCTV (the Marist College television station), but if some kind of major event occurred at Marist, and our news team was reporting on the station, then I would definitely be interested. For my nightly entertainment, on the other hand, I will still turn to channels such as ABC, NBC, etc.

3. What could the Federal Communication Commission do to promote localism in broadcasting? Explain three of these examples of public-service-oriented projects that are already in process across the US.

If the FCC mandated public programming, then there would be no choice in the matter but for localized programming to exist. However, this does not mean that the stations will get any viewers. And without viewers, I have to wonder how they will create revenue and stay on the air. If the FCC were to provide a segment of their budget to these stations, perhaps they would succeed. The FCC could also require radio hosts to discuss local issues and stories of interest for a designated amount of time each day. Again, I do not know if average citizens would actually be interested in this type of information, but perhaps if it was specifically geared toward their community they would pay attention.

An example given in the article revolved around LPFM stations. These stations provide a unique medium that is a tribute to those who work at the local stations and who are more than likely members of the community. It also honors the local listeners who are also community members.

The Emerging Struggle for a Free Press

I found that one of the most prevalent issues when talking about the upcoming election in comparison to this article was actually right on the first page. The author discusses the fact that much of our country does not vote, and that the elections cater to the wealthier classes. It is interesting because in the 2008 election it is fairly obvious that both candidates are trying to appeal to the more average citizens and are pushing them to vote as well. Many of Obama's policies are in support of citizens who are of lower social status. Whether it be his healthcare reform or his plan for tax payers, he is clearly out there to help the lower classes, and therefore would also be encouraging them to vote. Even McCain with his "Joe the Plumber" deal appears to be trying to appeal to the lower social classes.

The article relates to the upcoming election in other ways as well. For instance, it describes the way that people complain about getting too much information, but also desire it as well. I think that this has come into play in the election, seeing as we are now able to get more information than ever before on the candidates. Many people have been complaining that the campaigns are too negative and each candidate is essentially trying to destroy the other, but because of the amount of information that is available, I feel that this is the future of the Presidential campaign. The candidates must bring up and attack their opponent's on the issues because if they do not, average citizens like myself can easily go online and dig up some of this information, and then wonder why such issues weren't covered.

Steve Kurtz

Although I had learned about Steve Kurtz and his story prior to this class, I have definitely gained some new insight on the situation. For starters, I had not even considered the role of the amateur in this case before today. I had actually thought about it in the opposite way, believing that because Steve Kurtz was a scientist, the situation was taken more seriously than if he were just an average citizen. In other words, because he knew what he was doing, this was more of a problem. If he were a typical citizen, perhaps this whole experiement would have been seen in a more innocent light.

However, now that I think about the fact that Kurtz was viewed as an amateur scientist, my views change. The concept of an amateur may have given the government the impression that Kurtz's work and ideas were not credible. Perhaps if Kurtz were a well-known and respected scientist in the field in which he was experimenting, the police and criminal system would have had more faith in his experiments, and instead of regarding it as a terrorist plot, it would have been considered science.

Kurtz mentioned that he and Ferrell were both easy targets for the judicial system, and I think he is absolutely right. Between Kurtz having suddenly lost his wife and Ferrell going in for Cancer treatment, it almost seems as if the government were taking an "easy out" and tried to make themselves believe that they were doing our country a favor by making these two men out to be criminals. The American people are easily manipulated, and so if we were told that these people were potential terrorists, I don't see why we wouldn't believe it. Sure, some people may be skeptical, but it just goes to show how much faith we put in our judicial system and government.

I will say that I am relieved that the courts ruled in favor of Kurtz. It is a shame that he had to put up with this nonsense for four years of his life, but I think that his story is quite beneficial. It uncovers some of the aspects of our courts that would likely be swept under the rug otherwise. I understand why we have the Patriot Act, and while I do believe it is necessary in order to keep the United States safe, it can also be taken much too far.

Cult of the Amateur Quiz

1984 / Web 2.0

Amber and I were discussing online shopping, specifically using Google Checkout. Her mom had stored all of her information in this specific checkout system, only to later find out that if she did not log out, all of her credit card information would be open for anyone who comes on the computer to see. In addition, other online shopping sites like amazon.com have access to this information.

I understand that online shopping is very popular right now, but hearing about stories like this scares me. It's much too easy for someone to get credit card information, but what really makes me nervous is how other websites are able to simply get a hold of all of this. Sure, amazon is a secure site, but I'm sure there are plenty of hackers out there who are smart enough to figure out how to get all of this information onto their websites as well. It makes me nervous to think that once you put something on the internet, there's no taking it back. Because someone, somewhere, will more than likely have it stored.

This idea leads me to think about the section in "Cult of the Amateur" that talks about the woman who's search engine entries were tracked and followed for multiple months. After you close out of Google, you would assume that the information you had entered is gone. After all, with millions of search inquiries being entered in, how could they possibly keep track? Well, they've somehow managed it.

All of this makes me wonder not only who can we trust...but what can we trust?

Contrast between cnn.com and cnn iReport

CNN.com and cnn iReport have obvious differences.

First of all, the stories mentioned on CNN.com deal with the nation as a whole. While you're able to go to sub-sections of the website and find information about a variety of topics, the homepage deals with breaking news and topics that impact the nation as a whole. There is a bar on the top of the homepage dedicated to "hot topics", which deal mostly with the US Economy and presidential debates, but are sure to include pop culture icons such as Lindsay Lohan as well.

Next we've got iReport. The homepage showcases articles of lesser importance. For example, the new layout for Facebook has made it onto the iReport homepage. Other articles that relate to Yankee Stadium, Gas Prices in one specific part of the country, as well as amusement parks closing down are in the top five or six articles on the page. While I'll be the first to admit that some of these pieces may be interesting, they are of lesser importance than national news.

However, CNN.com and iReport do share a few similarities. Both talk about politics as well as the recent harsh weather conditions our nation has been dealing with. But while CNN's information is more factual, iReport takes on a more opinionated approach.

I want the truth!

Andrew Keen would be the first to say just how difficult it is to find a truth on the Internet. While considering this assignment, I first tried to come up with some kind of blog or informational website that uncovered a truth before any other source. When I couldn't think of anything, I took a break and checked my e-mail only to find some junk mail from Amazon.com. Then it hit me.

Product reviews!

Advertisements are notorious for bending the truth. Whether it be a shampoo that is promised to make your hair 10 times stronger, a luxury hotel in the Bahamas that is five star quality for a two star price, or even a new electronic gadget that you absolutely cannot live without - it's hard to figure out the truth of the matter. After all, advertisements are only going to explore the benefits of a product.

But by logging onto amazon.com or many other websites which offer the option for product reviews, consumers can finally get the truth. Of course, opinions differ, but by having the option of reading multiple reviews, consumers can get a good feel of exactly how "true" these advertisements and promotions really are. Keen may argue that these reviews are made by mere amateurs, but when it comes to buying a new DVD player, I would prefer hearing about an amateur's experience with the product rather than the entirely positive description of the player written by the manufacturer.

web 2.0 untruth

Alright, now I understand that this assignment was to contrast an "untruth" with a "truth", but I realized that I don't even need to go searching for untruths on web 2.0 - I look at them everyday (multiple times a day, actually.)

I'm an avid reader of a gossip blog named "Oh No They Didn't!" (ONTD). It's an addictive celebrity gossip blog that I can't help but glance at every now and then (Or every few hours. Oops.) Since this a gossip blog by nature, it's hardly a surprise that a great deal of the information on there is false. Within the past month or so, I have seen postings claiming false deaths, arrests, pregnancies, etc. Yet it's difficult to filter out what's true and what's clearly made up, seeing as some of the information posted on ONTD is true.

Today I read a rather humorous article which was originally posted on tmz about Miley Cyrus and her hopes of getting fired. A link to the article is here:

http://www.tmz.com/2008/09/20/disney-to-miley-face-the-music-or-else

Basically, the article claims that Miley is an ungrateful and rather obnoxious individual. Her co-stars can't stand her, and her father is no better. Now, is this true? I'm sure not. I mean, she seems like a sweet girl, right? But how would I know? What is stopping me from telling my friends that Miley is a terrible person? Well, the fact that none of them care about Miley Cyrus is setting me back, but that's probably the only thing.

When it comes to celebrity gossip, I would say that the only source I consider to be reliable is an interview in which Miley denies all of these claims. Or maybe her co-star can explain how all of the claims are false. But even then, how would I know the real truth? I'd really have to physically be on the set of Hannah Montana or in some kind of executive Disney meeting to discover the actual truth...and believe me, I can do without both of those things.

Long story short, this little article was posted this afternoon, and has already gotten hundreds of comments. Most of which are from people who seem to take all of this very seriously. Whether they are defending Miley or simply agreeing with the article, most of these comments appear to be from individuals who assume the article is true and based on fact.