The underground system in the UK is the mother of the metro systems dating far back to 1863. It has had a mixed history of both ups and many downs. One of the major problems is the issue of the inhumanity of the system. This has to do with the complications and technicalities involved in the usability and comfort of the system (Geocities, 2004).
The reading of the maps is one of the technicalities. Reading of maps has great topological problems (Gunther and Leuween, 2006, 99). The London subway map compounds this by being geographically incorrect and can cause confusion for new users of the subway system (Rumble, 2002). This is further compounded by the general disorganization of signs within the station. The signs are confusing and are set great distances apart. This is very inconvenient for people who are new to the system (The Traveler, 2008). The other problem is the air conditioning issue. The mayor, Boris Johnson, just unveiled the new form of the trains that are meant to ease both congestion and conditioning problems. The only problem is that they are meant to be released in the year 2010 and will not cater to satisfactorily eliminate rather than alleviate these problems. They will form only 40% of the train fleet available meaning that one still has to contend with the old and uncomfortable trains (Milmo, 2008). The other problem associated with the underground system is overcrowding. Though the trains have been increased, this still remains a problem, especially during peak hours. The result is that there are more delays and more discomfort due to heating, especially in the summer.
The problem causes a variety of risks. The heating up of the subways and the overcrowding can cause heat strokes, especially in the summer. According to research done, the subways’ problems of heating control stem from the construction of the systems and are accelerated by the crowding (Ampofo, Maidment and Missenden, 2004). The delays have caused the development of online timetabling, an effective way of allowing the commuter to not only see the route but more importantly, plan in light of the delays that are shown. This will now let them access information quickly and efficiently (Beavis, 2008). Despite the improvements in the communication of the routes and timetables, the delays caused on routes that have only one way will still be affected. The issue of the signs causes strangers to do unnecessary navigational adventures in order to find their way around. For example, is if you are disabled or bearing baggage you will mostly need to use a different route altogether to access the station. This is confusing for first-timers.
In my opinion, one can find effective and innovative ways to solve the problems. This includes putting up more signs in visible places, providing fans and other cooling methods in the subways, and increasing the number of trains in deployment. In the putting of signs and making the maps easier to use, you can simplify the map and make it accurate enough for the first-timer to be able to relate with. Take for example the KORAIL services. The service providers strive to cater to all their clients, both local and foreign. Their maps have both English and Korean interpretations. Their trains are comfortable and fully air-conditioned. They have time to keep the rating of an amazing 99%. In addition, they have an interface in the cabin door that tells you where they will stop next.
In the future, these kinds of technologies that are customer-friendly must be put in place. This can be done by seeking additional funding from the advertising potential in the subways. The lift on the ban on sponsoring of subway stations will allow the service provider to seek better channels of maximizing their advertising and sponsorship. The money raised could fund the development projects that would make the sub-way travel experience much less daunting (Mole, 2008).
The London Underground will have more convenient facilities as KORAIL after 10 years. For example, the waiting area can have entertainment such as TV. The availability of food and refreshment stands inside the tubes will be very common. Air conditioning in summer and heating in winter will be commonplace. Use of other materials for the seats – not carpet seats, not cushions but plastic seats for clean and good sanitation will also be necessary. Online Shopping in the tube will also add to enhance the experience and convenience of the travel. These designs will have to take into consideration the ergonomics of future developments and expansion so as not to create the same kind of hold-up we have because of the shortsightedness of the original engineers.
The documentary must assimilate the problem of the commuter and the thoughts of the expert. It is important that the audience get to see the problem visually so as to relate to it (Hampe, 2004, 115). I suggest that we let the story be told by the commuters themselves as they come in and out of the various subways. This is their problem and so they would communicate it better (Nulph, 2006). The use of a specialist in the areas concerned is a good one as they can offer clarifications on the changes within their sector that can affect the subway system. Also in the interview guest list, we can have a representative from the London Underground so that they can offer us their perspective of the problem and the plans of the organization. Ensure, however, that the interviewees do not go too technical, as they will make the interview a bore (Jollife and Zinnes, 2006, p. 59). However, I think the length of the interviews of the experts and representatives should not be so long. A narrator is recommended to keep the general storyline and describe the shots concerning the problem that have no words. The use of a female and male narrator interchangeably is good in order to keep variety and show gender equality.
Works Cited
Ampofo F., Maidment G. and Missenden J. Underground Railway Environment in the UK Part 1: Review of Thermal Comfort Applied Thermal Engineering Volume 24, Issues 5-6, 2004, Pages 611-631.
Barry Hampe Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos (1997).
Macmillan Geocities London, 2004.
Jolliffe Genevieve and Zinnes Andrew The Documentary Film Makers Handbook (2006) Continuum International Publishing Group.
Kress Gunther and Leeuwen Theo Van Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design (2006) Routledge.
The Vietnam War can be regarded as a turning point for photojournalism (Anderson 2006). The specific area of my proposed research is two iconic photos. The first one depicts a napalmed child and is referred to as Accident Napalm”. The second is the execution of an alleged Viet Cong soldier by an American marine in the street of Saigon. My research proposal is geared towards interpreting the photos taken during the war and their impact. Writers such as Hammond (2007) and Hallin (2000) examine arguments that have suggested that such iconic photographs influenced American public attitudes to the Vietnam War towards the viewpoint that it was considered the official tragedy.
The Basic Research Questions
My research proposal discusses the interpretation of the cultural and historical background of the photos. Semiotics is also involved in providing an explanation for the photos. It is also necessary to clarify how the images affect people’s values, feelings, and perceptions during the war. For instance, the photos of a nine-year-old girl screaming and running naked with deep pain from a burn on her back and hands received the attention of the world (Andersen 2006). So, the way images affect our understanding of the immorality of the war is one of the key questions, which should be answered. The paper will focus on the similarities portrayed by the photos.
The photos have a common element of triggering emotional outrage and a strong sense of powerlessness (Cottle 2004). For this reason, specific attention should be given to the generalized elements that the photos contain in terms of people’s common and specific evaluation of the war. The Vietnam conflict is described as one of the conflicts in which media coverage was allowed. In former American conflicts, the media was censored. However, in the Vietnam War, the journalists were not officially censured (Andersen 2006). It was the first time that the Americans had to watch live coverage of the war from their rooms (Der Derian 2009). The unique thing about the Vietnam conflict was the fact that American citizens became more significantly informed than in any other conflicts (Andersen 2006).
The Main Themes of the Proposed Research
The key themes of the proposed research include an emotional understanding of the photos, the cultural context of photos and ideological narratives challenges. In addition, specific attention should be given to the analysis of relations between representations of war in media, as well as its impact on the world perception of the Vietnam War.
The Main Arguments of the Research
The value of photographs is tremendous as compared to the value of words. Photographs last for a long time, and they are easily recalled. Images are highly instrumental in arousing people’s pre-existing values and emotional reactions. Thus, one of the main arguments, which should be discussed, is recognised to be the importance of visual learners as compared with the printed word (Hammond 2007). The photo called Accident Napalm has stuck in the memories of those people who have come across it. Allan (2010) argues that the photo with a girl running naked in the streets with injuries on her body caused by napalm seems to reflect the cruelties of the nature of the war. This can be regarded as the second key argument, which should be highlighted.
The Basic Methodologies of the Research Project
A synthesis of the literature in relation to the images is considered to be the key methodology the research project is to be based on. For instance, when speaking about the Tet Execution photo, there is a need to point out that the execution was carried by Brigadier General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. This event was covered by the media. There were video footage and a photograph of the event. After shooting the prisoner, the perpetrator also executed the NBC and ABC camera crews. Though the execution was aired, the photograph was more highly rated than the video footage (Donald & MacDonald 2011). The photo evoked strong emotions of pity and terror (Gilboa 2002). Another important method, which is to be used, is a semiotic analysis of the chosen photos.
Methods to be Used
A review of the literature and analysis of photo and video documentation will be involved in the research. The theoretical material will be analysed with regard to the photos under consideration. Therefore, a qualitative method will be used the research.
Personal Connections with the Research Proposal
The Vietnam War is considered a world tragedy because it indicates the cruellest crime against humanity. The analysis of photojournalism is closely connected with the crimes committed during the war.
Relevant Political and Ethical Considerations
The photos generated very strong emotions for Americans (Donald & MacDonald 2011). The photos attracted the attention of many people, and they were highly reproduced by various media houses. They made history by being sold more than any other war video. A negative reaction by the United States citizens on the war was noted (Donald & MacDonald 2011). Negative attention led to a widespread expression of disillusionment on the American government’s role in the war (Allen & Seaton 1999). For this reason, some arguments on the government’s role in the war are to be analysed in detail.
Timeline
The research proposal will take about three months. It will be composed of several stages, including gathering data, analysing information, observations, structuring information, presenting the first draft and revisions. All these stages will take approximately 2 weeks each.
Budget
Some of the sources are available at specialized libraries and databases access to which is not available for free. Therefore, resources should be spent on sufficient research materials.
Annotated Bibliography
Andersen, R 2006, A Century of Media, a Century of War, Peter Lang, New York.
The author represents the analysis of a long-term connection between war and media, as well as how this union is perceived in society. The book represents a series of stories and facts that explain the underpinnings of war and conflicts. Public perception and representation of war through media should be discussed in the research to define how photos can be analysed.
Allen, T & Seaton, J 1999, The Media of Conflict: War Reporting and Representations of Ethnic Violence, Zed Books, New York.
In the book, the authors argue that public perception of wars can be considerably confused and misunderstood because of wrong representations of struggles by photojournalists. It also focuses on the importance of considering ethnicity and relation to cultural contexts that are differently perceived in various cultures. The book is a credible and relevance resource that can be used to answer the research questions.
Gilboa, E 2002, Media and Conflict: Framing Issues, Making Policy, Shaping Opinions, Transnational, Ardsley, NY.
Cross-cultural perspectives are important to consider because they identify the role of identity in media representation, as well as conflict development. In the book, the researcher represents how media affects various types of conflict, both at the global and local levels. Therefore, the information represented in the source is pertinent for the given research because it highlights the connection between ethnicity and identity.
Hammond, P 2007, Media, War and Post Modernity, Routledge, London.
Media has a potent impact on international intervention and the Vietnam War is not an exception. In the book, the author criticizes media, considering it an accelerator of war conflict between countries based on misconceptions and political interests. The source provides a wider picture on historical background presented in the photos under analysis.
Reference List
Allan, S 2010, News Culture, Open University Press, Berkshire and New York.
Allen, T & Seaton, J 1999, The Media of Conflict: War Reporting and Representations of Ethnic Violence, Zed Books, New York.
Altheide, L 2009, Terror Post-9/11 and Media, Peter Lang, New York,
Andersen, R 2006, A Century of Media, a Century of War, Peter Lang, New York.
Cottle, S 2004, News, Public Relations and Power, Sage, London,
Der Derian, J 2009, Virtuous War: Mapping the Military-Industrial-Media- Entertainment Network, 2nd ed, Westview Press, Colorado.
Donald, R & MacDonald, K 2011, Reel Men at War: Masculinity and the American War Film, Scarecrow Press, Lanham MD.
Gilboa, E 2002, Media and Conflict: Framing Issues, Making Policy, Shaping Opinions, Transnational, Ardsley, NY.
Hammond, P 2007, Media, War and Post Modernity, Routledge, London.
The convergence of technology, as it has happened lately with convergence of television stations, is the evolving of different technological advances that perform similar tasks. The convergence of technology in the media field can be defined by the interlinking of the computing and information technologies that have become popular with the internet as well as the products and services which have emerged in the digital media space.
With the current competition and the changes in the television and online services, people are no longer willing to pay less to the Pay TV broadcasters and the emergence of free TV is gaining an audience to the expense. As online and internet services gain momentum, they are slowly becoming substitutes since users are watching less TV even during the prime time.
With TV, the threat of market entry is low and decreasing while the barriers of entry remain high. The bargaining power in the production industry is high and as the price increase, these costs are passed directly to TV stations and this has made some TV companies to integrate backwards. As a result, the TV industry has become unattractive and the big players in the industry have introduced digital TV (Dowling, Thielmann & Lechner, 1998).
How It Works
The telecommunication and cable television companies in the USA, Africa and other places are undergoing rapid transformation in the technologies used and in the services they are offering.
These enterprises no longer rely on copper wires alone as their means of transmission they have transformed into using optic fiber cables which carries information on a pulse of right and wireless systems which usually makes use of the electromagnetic spectrum. These optic fibers then are connected to the internet whose software is fast and they complement as well as compete with traditional technologies which were unable to do this.
Benefits
The advantage of television convergence is that it is an economic strategy where several media properties are brought to work together. This strategy works under three elements which are corporate concentration whereby few large companies own more and more media properties.
Then digitization follows whereby the media content produced in a universal computer language easily adapted for use by any medium, and finally the government deregulation that has allowed different media conglomerates to own different kinds of media; For example, one company can own a radio station, a TV station, and newspapers. This strategy allows the company to reduce labor and administrative costs to use the same media content across several media outlets.
The convergence of television stations has offered unprecedented reporting and marketing opportunities but to what extent the partners take advantage of the emerging opportunities remains a big issue. In continents like Africa, the introduction of DSTV which brings together several channels sports, movies, news and of late has invited also local television stations to join the service TV and has enabled more consumers in accessing different channels according to their wish.
The potential benefits from adopting converged communications may not be immediately obvious in an effort to reduce the costs involved. The value of television convergence comes from the ability of converged communications to foster real time collaboration irrespective of location or time zones. The parties involved can easily share and discuss and develop ideas with their counterparts everywhere in the world in a way that mirrors getting round a table (Smith, Turner & Duhe, 2007).
Conclusion
We can conclude that convergence of television stations has come as a major boost to most consumers, since they can access different channels under the same platform. There are benefits which come along with the convergence of television stations and they include the reduction in costs involved, better marketing strategies and brand creation as well as earning of unprecedented revenues.
Reference List
Dowling, M; Thielmann, B; and Lechner, C. (1998). Convergence Innovation and Change of Market Structures between Television and Online Services. Web.
Smith, L. R; Tanner, H. A; and Duhe, F. S. (2007). Convergence Concerns in Local Television: Conflicting Views From the Newsroom: Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media Vol. 51:555–574.
This essay will explore using Mudock’s theory for consumption and convergence, the two examples that the essay is using is Monitor and TV. Explain what those are used for, history on what development on TV and monitor and how the 2 have in common and how they are different
Main body
Television and Monitor
The monitor and the television are both viewing devices which accept signals and display them on the screens. However, there are substantial differences between them. Computer monitors accept signals from the Central Processing Unit of the computer with the help of connectors which do not have audio circuits like the television which have data processing systems known as the MINI SUB D15Connectors (VGA). In contrast, computer monitors are controlled by specialized adaptors like the monochrome or the graphic adaptors.
The television has tuners which the monitors do not have and therefore tuners are required in monitors to decode the signals which are sent or received through the cable or satellite. Monitors are thus devices which can be connected to computers or television sets and which require tuners or set-top boxes to display programs. Computer screens are forms of monitors which do not have tuners and hence require additional tuners to function as transmission devices. The television enables the viewing of programs with the help of an antenna or set-top box which a monitor does not since there is no provision of an inbuilt antenna inside a monitor. Monitors are of lesser cost than TV due to the technical differences between the two.
Monitors cannot produce color images due to the inability to accept signals which are again due to the lack of antennas. There are some substantial differences between the computer and the monitor with regard to the display and picture quality. The most telling information of all may eventually come from eye-tracking research. Laboratory experiments in which all user behavior may be monitored avoids most of the pitfalls of survey, server log and client log analysis. Eye-tracking produces data indicating not merely what interaction (such as a click) occurred between user and computer, but more important what the user did as a result of that interaction. Simply put, eye-tracking reveals not only what is clicked upon, but more important what is actually read on a clicked-upon page and what is done next as a result, whether it be online or off. The problem, of course, is that eye-tracking experiments are extremely intrusive and expensive, and the results often can be misinterpreted, as has been the case in print. Such assertions are supported by empirical evidence in print-based studies and by documented physiological differences between the upper (scanning) and lower (detail) fields of vision. Watch a newspaper reader as he or she picks up a page, holds it straight out and scans the headlines and graphics. When an item catches his or her interest, causing the reader to move from casual browsing to intent information seeking, the reader typically brings the newspaper lower and closer to his or her body, placing it into the lower field of view. Computer monitors often are positioned solely within the upper field, possibly giving rise to the often-expressed concern that readers find it uncomfortable to read large amounts of text on a monitor and would prefer reading such material in print (Murdock 2000).
Since monitors are controlled by specific adapters inside the central processing units of the computer and therefore their display pitch begins at 0.41 mm for the medium resolution, which gets smaller as the resolution increases. To present the viewer with high definition images of good quality, the monitors use greater convergence standards of small pixel sizes, which are vital for enhanced image quality.
In the monitors, the images are painted on the screen through the electronic beams which scan from either side of the display. In televisions, the images are painted with the help of beams which scan all over the screen more gradually, which subsequently allow the transition and intensity of color. The transitions in a monitor are abrupt as compared to the television due to the transition from high intensity areas to those of lower intensity.
Televisions utilize a process which relies on the ability of the brain to allow gradual transition as the image is painted on the screen and the process of transition occurs in phases. The first phase of the television includes the drawing of even-numbered lines and the following phase includes the drawing of the odd-numbered lines. The eye sends the images to the brain where they are integrated to create one single complete image. In contrast, the monitor of a computer is placed at a distance of one or two feet from the screen and is experiencing the frequent changes in the text images. The same technique as the television cannot be used for the monitor because the multiple transitions would produce flickering images, due to the rapid transition from bright to dark which the brain is incapable of integrating. Murdock underlines that: “television environments involve traditions and transactions which create a new public network” (Murdock 2000, p. 56).
History
The history of television goes back to the beginning of the XX century. Two inventors were Vladimir Zworykin and Philo Farnsworth. Zworykin developed the iconoscope also known as an electronic camera image. Farnsworth developed so called the image dissector. The color television was invented in 1953. The CBS system was used as the main technological tool in the signal receiver. This tool generates color picture. Television’s growth is also an international phenomenon. Only four countries — Britain, France, the United States, and the USSR — had television in 1949. By 1981, however, television had spread worldwide to at least 137 countries. Television inherited its industrial structure from radio. Local stations, which provided services for their communities, were associated with a network (ABC, CBS, NBC, and until 1956 DuMont.). Thus programming would be fed by the network to the local station where, in turn, it would be broadcast to the community. Television also inherited its business methods, including its role as a vehicle for commercial advertising, from radio. This function, however, would be useless unless people bought sets and watched television. In the late forties and early fifties the creation of an audience for television programs (and hence a market for television sets) was at the top of the agenda. In short, at a time when programming was in short supply, families had to be motivated to buy television sets. Murdock underlines that: “over last two decades the television system in Europe has moved from being centered around national public service system to being increasingly dominated by commercial operators” (Murdock 2000, p. 39).
The history of a monitor was closely linked to the development of TV screen. With the development of the first computers in the middle of 1950s, researchers borrowed ideas and technologies used by TV producers. Key to any effort at client-side analysis must be the random selection of appropriate client machines to monitor. Little applicability to a larger audience is possible unless analyzed client machines are selected by scientific sampling as opposed to ready availability, which likely would emphasize library and laboratory machines. Such methodology is, as with good survey research, quite expensive. Moreover, in many cases it raises serious questions about the privacy rights of users (Murdock 1990).
Conclusion
How Computer and TV are controlled or displayed by using some sort of device known as MINI SUB D15Connectors or graphic adaptors for it to work, for example TV uses a tuner to decode the signals through a satellite for it to display programs using a inbuilt antenna unlike the monitor. The monitors need CPU (Central processing unit) for the monitor to display what’s on the computer, but are more affordable since it only displays. For the monitor the electronic beam scans differently to a TV because monitor uses the beam to scan from side to side and uses a specific adapter making it more viewable close range with high definition images high definition output. TV uses a different method to scan, it scans from all directions making the brain see one printed image on the screen making it more viewable far range.
Bibliography
Murdock, Graham 2000. “Digital Futures: European Television in the Age of Convergence”. In Wieten, J. & al. (eds.): Television Across Europe. A Comparative Introduction. Sage: London, pp. 35-58
Murdock, Graham 1990, “Redrawing the Map of the Communications Industries: Concentration and Ownership in the Era of Privatization”. In Ferguson, M. (ed.): Public Communication – The New Imperatives: Future Directions for Media Research. Sage: London, 1-15.
Parents and teachers must allow children and teenagers to watch TV shows and play video games. This realization was made possible by integrating the insights found in these two articles: Watching TV Makes You Smarter and Fallout. Steve Johnson provided a well-developed argument on how TV shows can help children improve cognitive skills. However, Tom Bissel’s experience with playing video games provides an encouragement, and a warning on the impact of video games. Parents and teachers must allow children to watch TV and play video games because of its intellectually stimulating benefit, however, they must choose age-appropriate content and teach time management skills.
Intellectually Stimulating Content
It is easy to dismiss the importance of watching TV and playing video games because of how parents and teacher compare these two activities with other time honored learning programs. For example, learning a new language, or studying Algebra is far more beneficial than watching a popular soap opera on TV. Judging from the long-term impact of watching TV, and studying the basics of Algebra, it is easy to conclude that the latter can help students acquire the necessary skills needed to succeed in the workplace.
The same thing can be said if one will compare the measurable results of learning a computer language, so that the student can create software that will in turn help a specific problem in society. At first glance it is more beneficial to study the basics of computer science as compared to playing video games. However, success is not just the end result of acquiring knowledge. Success is also the byproduct of developing the skills to solve problems. Watching TV and playing computer games can help develop a child’s cognitive capabilities. These activities may not provide the required knowledge needed to build buildings or cure cancer; nonetheless, watching TV and playing video games can help the child process complex problems, and develop a solution for them.
Age-Appropriate Content
Researchers made an interesting correlation between watching TV and reading books, and they said the following: “Think of the cognitive benefits of conventionally ascribed to reading: attention, patience, retention, the parsing of narrative threads. Over the last half-century, programming on TV has increased the demand it places on precisely these mental faculties” (Johnson 172). Although it is true that watching TV and playing video games can be mentally stimulating activities, it is important to remember the value of selecting shows and video games that can help children accomplish the said goal.
In other words, not all TV shows, and not all video games are beneficial for the cognitive development of children and teenagers. It is not prudent for parents and teachers to give children and teenagers unbridled freedom to choose what to watch and play. The TV shows and video games they will choose may be high in entertainment value but inappropriate when it comes to cognitive development.
On the other hand, the ability to choose age-appropriate content is comparable to the utilization of effective learning tools to enhance the learning process. Consider for instance the insight cited earlier, about the ability of TV shows and video games to mimic the mental exercise provided by reading a book. From this point of view, one will be able to develop learning strategies that can harness these capabilities. Therefore, TV shows and video games can be considered as an attractive method to encourage children and teenagers to study a particular topic.
Learning the Discipline of Time Management
The benefits of using the TV set and video games to deliver age-appropriate content have become more evident. TV shows and video games have one advantage over books, and conventional classroom teaching techniques. It is the use of images and interactive technologies that engages different aspects of acquiring problem solving skills. Consider the difference between delivering a lecture about the importance of certain engineering skills, and the ability to teach the same topic using video games to actually build a structure through a simulation-type computer game.
Nevertheless, it is important for parents and teachers to teach the value of developing time-management skills. TV shows and video games are intellectually stimulating activities, and can help parents and teachers utilize an effective content delivery mechanism. However, there is no substitute for acquiring information that can help students develop practical solutions to every day problems and socio-economic challenges. One game addict unashamedly revealed spending seven hours playing a video game, and missed an important historical event that he could have witnessed if he had the discipline to turn off his Xbox 360 (Bissell 3). Children and teenagers must set aside time for school related activities.
Conclusion
The idea that TV shows and video games are detrimental to a child’s cognitive development is no longer one hundred percent accurate. An overview of popular TV shows and video games that are available in the market will lead to the conclusion that the opposite argument is true. In fact, sophisticated TV shows and well-crafted video games provide the same intellectual stimulation as reading a book. However, not all video games, and not all TV shows possess the same quality content that can help children and teenagers develop problem-solving skills. It is imperative to choose age-appropriate TV shows and video games to achieve this purpose. It is also important to develop time-management skills in order to set aside time for school related activities.
Works Cited
Bissell, Thomas. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. New York: Random House, 2010. Print.
Johnson, Steve. Watching TV Makes You Smarter. English 201 Advanced Rethoric, 2013. Web.
E-learning is the use of technology to provide learning anywhere at any time. E-learning helps to bridge the gap of distance, time, and resources. E-learning occurs in various forms. E-learning can take place on a CD-ROM, DVD, and Local Area Network or over the internet. E-leaning comprises of Computer Based Training, Web-Based Training, Distance Learning or Electronic Performance Support Systems. E-learning is best suited for those people that intend to pursue further training while still working. This is the best method to keep employees updated with new skills and knowledge through additional training at workplaces. Otherwise, training can be very costly if employees were to attend classes or seminars in faraway places. Scheduled classes are expensive since they involve taking workers from their jobs at critical times.
Companies, as well as individuals, have a variety of e-learning methods to select from, as discussed below. Some e-learning methods such as videoconferencing are very effective as learning methods because they engage the learner in active learning, while other e-learning methods such as video or distance learning are not very appropriate learning strategies because they do not give the learner an opportunity to participate in the learning process actively. Nevertheless, e-learning has been instrumental in the proliferation of new skills as well as knowledge across borders. More effective methods of e-learning that will make the learner more actively engaged in the learning process should be developed (Harasim 76).
E-Learning
These days many students take their education courses online through web-based computer technology. Instructors make use of electronic mail in issuing instructions as it is regarded as a quick, accurate, and very reliable means of communication. Learners then download learning materials as well as course assignments from the instructions. After finishing their assignments, learners upload them for marking purposes. To facilitate the effectiveness of online learning, some e-learning methods have electronic discussions that make it possible for students to discuss difficult topics with their teachers or students who are taking the same courses. This helps to enhance interaction and improve the learning process. Some online programs are mainly accomplished by students using important resources from the World Wide Web (Lipsitz and Reisner 20).
Video
There are some programs that are offered from a series of videotapes. To make the learning more effective, the videotapes are supplemented with handouts, conferencing as well as assignments. In some instances, this type of learning is supplemented by students accessing course materials from relevant online libraries. This type of learning makes use of text, syllabus, as well as a study guide to supplement the study videotapes. To enhance the learning process, some of the videotapes that are used have computer-email conferencing as well as electronic downloading of assignments from the internet (Wolfe 12).
Television
The television broadcast is another form of e-learning that is best suited for those learners who cannot attend regular classes. Those students that miss TV broadcast usually views videotapes or DVD to catch up with the others. It is advisable for those students that opt for TV courses to have self discipline through establishing appropriate study habits. Those students that graduate through this type of learning are awarded the same transcripts as those who attend regular classes (Wamae 42).
Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing is another form of e-learning that combines video and audio interaction. This type of learning occurs in special rooms that are dedicated to this purpose.
Some e-learning programs are not very effective as learning methods. Some of the e-learning methods that are not a very effective method of learning are video as well as distance learning methods. Videos do not give learners an opportunity to clarify some issues they cannot understand, and especially when they do not have video conferencing. Learners listen to what is recorded in the video and write their own notes. In the learning process, the learner and the instructor normally learn through conceptual interactions where the teacher asks the learner some questions to find out whether the learner is following the instructions given. In some instances, the learner asks the instructor some questions to clarify a point he may not have understood. This learning environment is very necessary as it makes the learner to be actively involved in the learning process, which makes the learning process more effective and interesting. On the other hand, the use of video in learning is often very boring because, more often, it does not give the learner an opportunity to contribute to the learning process. This is very limiting to students as the process does not provoke the mind of the learner to explore other perspectives on the subject matter (Hiltz 23-34).
Another form of learning that is not very effective is distance learning. Distance learning entails online learning over the internet or web-based programs. Online learning is much more effective than the use of videos in e-learning because it entails instructors sending learning materials as well as assignments over the internet as uploads. The learners download learning materials which they use for studying. To supplement the learning materials, students who take their courses online are allowed by the university management to access the campus library online by being given appropriate logins. In addition, those students that learn online have a wide range of materials to supplement their notes from the World Wide Web. One of the main undoings of distance learning is the inability to bring those students who are pursuing similar courses together in order to share their learning experiences as well as discuss their learning materials for better understanding. In a classroom setting, students normally consult from each other to learn what they did not understand during lectures. In addition, students form discussion groups which they use to discuss difficult topics they face in the learning process (Nagy 35).
Despite the weaknesses highlighted in some of the e-learning methods widely used nowadays, these methods have been very instrumental in the proliferation of education in many parts of the world. Conversely, for e-learning to be more effective in the future to those students who are learning online, e-learning should be designed to be more interactive in order to be more interesting and effective. The use of teleconferencing as a method of e-learning is one sure way of making e-learning more interactive, which has greatly boosted the acquisition process. In order to make e-learning more effective, e-learning should be connected to Facebook or Twitter to make it more interactive. The use of Facebook and Twitter in e-learning will greatly enhance the e-learning process as students will get an opportunity to clarify some points they may not comprehend from the tutors or professors. Similarly, the use of Facebook and Twitter in e-learning will help the students to consult each other in some of the topics they find difficult to understand. By using Twitter and Facebook, e-learning will become more blended learning, which is more interactive and effective than distance learning.
Works Cited
Harasim, Herbart. Learning Networks: A Field Guide to Teaching and Learning Online. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 1995, print.
Hiltz, Simon. Evaluating the Virtual Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1990, print.
Lipsitz, Lawrence and Reisner, Trudi. The Computer and Education. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications. 1973, print.
Nagy, Amos. The Impact of E-Learning. New York: Prentice Hall. 2005, print.
Wamae, Peter. Computer Based learning. New York: Prentice Hall.
Wolfe, Charles. Learning and teaching on the World Wide Web. New York: Oxford University Press. 2000, print.
Security constitutes a major risk that organizations and individuals strive to mitigate in an effort to reduce incidences of loss or even damage of property. The aim of enhancing security within organizational, private, and public settings is to “protect systems, organizations, and society from those with the intentions of committing harm” (Warren and Gill, 2010, p.49). Intentions to cause harm to emanate from various sources including terrorists, criminals, gangs, and any other party having stakes in terms of benefiting from an activity considered illegal under social or national legal provisions. Security threats may also be attributed to organizational employees, rival organizations, and even opportunistic criminals (Goold, 2004, p.15). Faced with the perception of security risks, it becomes important to seek mechanisms of developing surveillance and enhancement of strategies for the mitigation of risks. One of the strategies for developing surveillance for security risks that have dominated civilization encompasses private and public policing. In all nations across the globe, many areas such as car parks, shopping malls, and banks among others have the presence of security guards if not police officers.
These security agents perceive security risks and take the necessary steps towards the elimination or minimization of the same. In this sense, they act as physical security systems. As societies continue to develop and evolve, new types of security risks are introduced while some forms of physical security systems have been failing. This aspect has led to the emergence of new forms of physical security systems to counter the changing security threats by improvising mechanisms of security threats perceptions and surveillance. Such systems include Closed Circuit Television (CCTV). This paper lays background to the development of security systems with a particular focus on discussing the factors considered when introducing CCTV surveillance. It also compares the properties and limitations of the disparate types of CCTV cameras.
Overview of physical security systems
Safety and security on human beings and property pose a great challenge to the development of civilization. In particular, security concerns have led to a drastic advancement in designing physical security systems. Physical security systems address any situation that threatens the safety and security such as fire outbreaks, theft, terrorism, and natural calamities (Warren and Gill, 2010, p.109). All measures such as physical protection barriers, security guards, access control systems, and electronic surveillance are installed to manage potential risks. Physical security denies intruders’ access to facilities and their components, and thus it ensures protection to people and property. Security guards play a great role in enhancing security through the creation of interventions and barriers to the successful execution of criminal activities. However, security remains threatened as the continued use of physical security barriers cannot address emerging forms of security breaches especially in the wake of the technological revolution.
The prevailing risks against security have resulted in further innovation and inventions by the security systems designers. Technology has influenced the development in security systems tremendously and enhanced the security personnel capability to respond to acts that may pose insecurity on the property beyond levels to which some physical security systems can perceive (Goold, 2004, p.51). Despite the security personnel being compromised, their involvement in physical protection cannot be overlooked. The management and operation of security systems consider the contribution of security personnel in eliminating risks while operating in conjunction with technological systems of crime prevention and detentions such as CCTVs.
The complexity of the physical security system has advanced tremendously due to the development of technology from analog to digital imaging. This aspect has led to the emergence of digital cameras and closed-circuit televisions. Digital technology has become popular due to its reliability and low cost (Hood, 2003, p.241). The incorporation of digital imaging in computer technology has led to incredible developments in communication technology, which act to provided easier and reliable crime detection solutions to most security challenges. For a long time, the transmission of information has gone through a myriad of setbacks including the high cost of installation, the bulkiness of equipment, and limited transmission speed especially in video transmission (Hood, 2003, p.241). The emergence of the Internet in the world of communication caused radical worldwide changes in the mechanism of transfer of information. In the security industry, the transmission of the video has become comparatively cheaper, faster, cost-effective, and a reasonably reliable method in protection against crimes and easy apprehension of crime.
The closed-circuit television installation requires well-trained personnel who are not only experts in technology, but also sensitive to security needs. The CCTV technology has grown from monochrome solid-state cameras to color cameras. The process of video CCTV technology development and storage devices for permanent custody of video images has raised big concern that led to the invention of video cassette recorder (VCR) and digital video recorder (DVR), which made the visual security industry advance in camera surveillance. VCR and DVR enabled the permanent recording of video in magnetic tapes and solid-state drives (Goold, 2004, p.17). In the security industry, permanent recording of visual images serves as proof in response to security offenses or training material. CCTV cameras are located in strategic points to keep a remote watch on behalf of security operators.
The camera type application depends on the nature of the location that the camera serves. Overt CCTV cameras are large and exposed to detect and deter potential crimes in remote locations. In contrast, covert cameras are tiny and usually hidden to detect intrusion in areas, which have minimal activities through the record of the scene is required. In such locations with low light level (LLL), intensity cameras with charged coupled devices (CCD) are installed (Goold, 2004, p.67). The scenes from all locations are displayed on monitors located in special monitoring rooms for the security personnel to watch over and respond as required. Accessibility to video and electronic equipment stands equally important with other security concerns including identification processes from an inbuilt access control gadget such as electronic card reading
The security performance of CCTV security systems is relevant to other aspects like security lighting, landscape, and alarm systems. Security lights deter intruders approaching a facility as well as illuminating the scene to a range of wavelength visible to the camera. Light intensity depending on the camera type determines the quality of the images recorded (Kruegle, 2011, p.31). Weather conditions also play a great role in affecting the resultant performance of cameras. Rainfall, fog, humidity, and mirage due to hot sun distort the scene image formed. Often, thermal infrared cameras supersede the problem of invisibility by filtering the white visible light from the scene by forming a monochrome image. These arguments suggest that some factors should be considered before installing CCTV surveillance systems within a facility.
Factors considered when introducing CCTV surveillance
CCTV images as a source of evidence
The installation of CCTV surveillance systems is crucial in helping to provide mechanisms of gathering digital evidence in the event of the occurrence of criminal activity within an establishment. Analysis of images captured by CCTV cameras is credible in the process of subsequent execution of justice. In fact, according to Warren and Gill (2010, p.30) “many workplaces investigations now require the acquisition and analysis of CCTV images, computer data, and related digital information to support vital decisions such as whether to discipline or dismiss an employee.” This assertion suggests that CCTVs form crucial systems for risk perception within an organization.
For the deployment of images captures using CCTVs in criminal and even legal proceedings in a court of law, important qualities of credible digital evidence should be met. One such quality is the degree of accuracy and dependability of the information. Data obtained from digital sources should be not tampered with or even modified in any way (Warren and Gill, 2010, p.31). Secondly, the data should be authentic in the sense that it is stored securely at all times (Warren and Gill, 2010, p.31). Investigators using CCTV evidence are required to acquire the evidence, process, and store it in a way that enhances integrity. Failure to conform to these requirements leads to the compromise of the investigation processes. These arguments suggest that certain aspects should be considered when selecting the type of CCTV equipment to install within an organization in a bid to provide means of physical security surveillance.
The purpose of installation
The selection of the location of CCTVs and indeed the decision to introduce them within an organization and in public places are subject to the perceptions of the purpose for which they are meant to serve. CCTVs do not prevent crime through the provision of physical barriers, which implies that they do not offer benefits of prevention of access coupled with making property hard to steal or limit the degree of assault. However, it is crucial to understand that this limitation of CCTVs as physical security systems does not mean that they are not part of situational crime management mechanisms. Despite the functionalities of CCTVs within strategic locations within an organization, their chief purpose is to trigger certain perpetual perceptions within the mind of potential offenders. They trigger the perception that if people commit a crime they will be caught automatically. Hence, CCTVs raise the perception of the risk of being caught, which suggests that CCTVs do not prevent committing the crime; however, the recognition of their presence acts as the main mechanism of crime prevention. Hence, the ability of an organization to create awareness of the presence of CCTVs in managing crime, especially the ones acerbated by employees in the belief that they would not be caught, is an essential factor to consider when introducing CCTV surveillance systems within an organization.
The offender posing a security risk of loss or damage of property reconsiders indulging in intended crime in an event of failure of the successful completion of the crime to give the anticipated rewards. This scenario plays out when a potential criminal is fully aware of the presence of security cameras (Goold, 2004, p.17). Unfortunately, evidence suggests that even though “implementers install a system, have a publicity campaign, and place signage, there is no guarantee that the population will be aware of the cameras” (Goold, 2004, p.37). For instance, “fifteen months after CCTV cameras were installed in Glasgow within the city center, only 41 % of people interviewed had awareness of the presence of the cameras” (Goold, 2004, p.51). In research conducted by Honess and Charman (1992, p.37), only 33 % of the respondents were aware that they were talking in the presence of CCTV cameras. These findings highlight the importance of consideration of the ability of an organization to enhance the awareness of the presence of the CCTV cameras upon their introduction in an organization.
Apart from the inherent shortcomings rooted in the fact that people might not realize the presence of CCTV cameras in a certain area, there is no assurance that the realization of the presence of CCTV cameras would deter an offender from committing a crime. Welsh and Farrington’s (2004, p.498) suggest, “CCTVs should provide the capability for guardianship, which is necessary to prevent a crime, but this concept requires that offenders demonstrate rationality in their behavior”. Unfortunately, a person under the influence of substance and drugs may forget or even fail to remember s/he is exposed to CCTV surveillance when arriving at a decision to engage in acts that pose risks to the property that is protected by CCTV surveillance systems. Hence, while introducing CCTV surveillance, people should consider the capacity of people to developed awareness of the effects of the CCTVs on their behavior.
In case potential offenders have low probabilities of recognizing the implication of CCTVs in relation to indulgence in crimes, the focus for an organization should shift towards capturing as opposed to prevention. Introducing CCTV systems to serve this purpose requires other physical security systems such as the police to respond with urgency to any security threat identified by CCTV operators. It is also important for an organization to develop an awareness that criminal justice has the ability to pursue and convict crimes acerbated by the arrested offenders. This aspect suggests that this approach to the management of security risks using CCTV yields results in case offenders are prevented from acerbating further crimes within areas under the surveillance of CCTV cameras.
CCTVs system used in the context of other physical security systems
One of the major interrogatives that managers should pose and evaluate before introducing CCTV systems is whether it is the best option. In research conducted by Welsh and Farrington (2004, p.497), members of the public were provided with four alternatives for enhancing security within public areas. These alternatives included increment of police patrols, installation of brighter lights in the streets, an increment of private guards’ patrols, and installation of CCTVs. Scores on the opinions from the respondents indicated that CCTVs ranked third with the increase of police patrol and brighter lights in the streets securing the first and second rank respectively. This realization implies that even though CCTV cameras have the ability to provide surveillance within areas in which crimes may occur, they cannot replace the roles played by other physical security systems such as the police. Indeed, they do not possess the ability to replace the services provided by other physical security systems.
The implementation of resources and cost-effectiveness of CCTVs in comparison to other options encompasses also important aspects for evaluations of other options to CCTVs. CCTVs require time for requisition coupled with the installation. They also require time to establish operational procedures, allocate spaces, and put staffing structures in place. This process consumes an immense amount of time and in some situations, it results in high costs of enhancing security within an organization or in public places. The introduction of CCTVs is also a long-term fix to security problems as opposed to a short time fix.
In the selection of alternatives to CCTVs, it is important to determine the focus of a risk reduction strategy. Where the focus is on a single and specific source of the threat, the appropriate response mechanisms should only focus on the specific threat. For instance, instead of the installation of CCTV cameras on the entire building where the threat is burglary, the installation of security grills or even reinforcing doors may be quicker to implement and the cost-effective way of prevention of security risks (Welsh and Farrington, 2004, p.498). Even if after an intensive analysis of the most suitable options for enhancing security surveillance CCTVs emerge as the most suitable option, before the acquisition of the CCTV systems, additional consideration such as determination of the necessary camera configurations and functionality and location of the cameras are important aspects.
Camera configurations
Overt systems, covert systems, and semi-covert systems are the three important CCTV camera configurations. Overt configurations have high public visibilities. “Signs and other indicators explaining to the public that they are within an area with the surveillance of the CCTVs accompany overt systems” (Hood, 2003, p.234). The systems mainly focus on the prevention of crimes; however, they are more prone to vandalism coupled with tampering due to their high visibility attributes. Covert systems are installed such that they are invisible to the public. Hence, they are less prone to vandalism and tampering. They are well adapted to detecting crime. Given that there is a lack of notifications on their presence in installations, the public gains information on their presence only through the arrested offending communities. Semi-covert systems “are in view of the public; however, concealing is made on the camera via transparent casings, and this way, the preventive approach of overt systems is enhanced while still ensuring the protection of the camera” (Hood, 2003, p.235). Since cameras may not be installed in every casing, the public cannot determine exactly the number of CCTV cameras installed.
Functionality and location of cameras
The amount of financial resources committed in the installation of CCTV systems is a function of anticipated functionalities of the CCTV cameras. In case the main purpose of the installation of CCTV systems is to enhance deterrence, the presence of cameras is satisfactory. This aspect implies that it is inappropriate to commit large sums of resources in updating CCTVs surveillance technology. Instead, the major focus is on the effectiveness of communication with security agents such as the police to enhance speedy response when alerted about incidences of crime by camera operators.
Where the main purpose of installations of CCTV systems entangles conviction coupled with the prosecution, commitment of large amounts of resources in recent CCTV technologies becomes justified. This aspect includes buying state of art resolution cameras coupled with recording equipment. High vision cameras at night with high image clarities at long-distance shots are also important in such situations. Additional features may also encompass casing for proofing bullets, the ability to detect motions, facial recognitions coupled with the system’s ability to defend itself from attacks such as the ability to orient other cameras to a given location where a given camera is attached. These functionality requirements increase the costs for the CCTV security systems while not necessarily enhancing the reduction of crimes, although system survivability coupled with probabilities of crime detection increases.
Manufactures of CCTVs systems provide information on functionalities and other activities entangling the usage of CCTV cameras. However, no information is provided on the exact locations of the cameras. Hence, it is important to put into consideration the location of cameras while making a decision to introduce them within public areas and within an organization. Where the sole purpose of installing CCTV surveillance systems is availing mechanism of providing evidence for use in prosecutions, camera locations should ensure adequate capturing of images that can enhance the process of crime analysis. In this line of thought, Honess and Charman (1992, p.11) point out that if “schemes are orchestrated and primarily directed by local authorities, there is a risk that police can be excluded from the crucial design stage, including the placement of cameras.” Where the performance of the surveillance systems is measured from the context of crime reductions, locating CCTV cameras using any other approach apart from crime distribution may not yield any significant achievement in terms of crime incidences reduction. Hence, “the choice of camera locations should, ideally, result in a high-quality crime analysis that not only incorporates a micro-level mapping of local crime patterns, but also an appreciation for the types of crime the system aims to target” (Hood, 2003, p.233). In fact, different CCTV cameras have disparate shortcomings and attributes, which enhance the achievement of various purposes for which CCTVs systems are established to serve.
Attributes and shortcomings of the various types of CCTVs cameras
In the deployment of CCTVs as physical security systems, the effectiveness in the utilization of the systems in detection of crime starts with the quality of the image. Cameras currently used for security surveillance are either CCD or CMOS. They operate as monochrome or in color modes. The cameras are either low cost or high-cost types. The low-cost types constitute a single PCB camera lens in-built in it without housing and attachment mechanisms (Kruegle, 2011, p.43). Expensive versions have the advantage as they have rugged means of mechanical attachment coupled with housing casings for protection and can accept various types of lenses. CMOS and CCD cameras have an important attribute, as they possess high sensitivities coupled with resolution levels. They also have input and output attributes, which are important for the performance of CCTV system applications. When LED IR illumination features are incorporated in the camera, they become adaptable for use in night surveillance.
Security cameras that were manufactured between the 1950s and 1980s were based on either silicon of vidcon vacuum tube technology. These cameras had the shortcoming of low resolutions and sensitivity levels. These shortcomings were countered by the emergence of solid-state CCD and CMOS cameras (Honess and Charman, 1992, p.39). In the security industry, these cameras take the forms of digital or analog types. Analog cameras colonized the security-market surveillance systems until 1990 when digital technology made digital cameras available for the security industry. Digital cameras make it possible to view images via digital displays. Solid-state cameras have undergone changes as technology advances, thus leading to the emergence of new CMOS and CCD cameras for use in the security surveillance industry.
The earliest versions of CMOS and CCD deployed 2/3 in coupled with ½ in sensors. 1/3 in, ¼ in, and ½ in sensor formats have since replaced the sensors. The new versions overcome several shortcomings of the earlier versions of CMOS and CCD cameras. The ½ in are smaller in size and they permit deployment of lenses, which are less expensive in comparison with large formats. The 1/3 and ¼ formats have better resolutions coupled with improved light sensitivities. This element ensures that they have superior qualities in the application for security surveillance. Such cameras are also precise and they have repeatable camera pixels geometry, require low operational power inputs, and have high stability coupled with high color rendition and high life span (Kruegle, 2011, p.45). In the current surveillance security industry, solid-state cameras take the form of digital, analog, and Internet formats.
Analog and digital cameras have been in use in the security industry since1990. For digital cameras, more focus has been on DSP. DSP digital cameras have the attribute of improved camera performance through capabilities to adjust according to illumination levels and integration of VMD and the ability to switch between monochrome and color modes. The Internet (IP) camera presents superior qualities in comparison to the digital cameras. Through ISP, the cameras can connect to the Internet. Via an appropriate web address, the cameras make it possible to view images recorded from any location. The cameras also provide the advantage of giving an operator the opportunity to adjust pan, zoom, and tilt among other properties of the cameras via two-way communications channels.
Operational conditions determine the type of cameras for application in security surveillance. For instance, in some situations, surveillance conditions require viewing at night under conditions of moonlight or starlight in a covert surveillance context. In such applications, IR LED illumination cameras to present some shortcomings. They become unsuitable. The only available alternative is to use LLL (Low- Light level intensified) CCD cameras. The cameras have attributes of high sensitivity levels in the order of 100 to 1000 times compared to most high performing solid-state cameras. The high sensitivity attribute for the LLL CCD camera is acquired through light amplification in a device situated between the CCD sensing device and the camera lens. Unfortunately, LLL CCD cameras are extremely expensive. They cost about 10 to 20 times higher than CCD cameras.
The surveillance cameras discussed so far require some illumination for operation, which means that they cannot operate in total darkness. Thermal imaging cameras resolve this shortcoming. Thermal imaging cameras deploy thermal sensor to provide a response to thermal energy in the order of 3-5 micrometers in wavelength (Kruegle, 2011, p.47). Targets including people, animals, vehicles, and other warm objects produce changes in thermal energy within the range of operation of the cameras. Another important attribute of CCTVs surveillance cameras is the degree of tilt. Tilt determines the angular range of the camera view. Panoramic 360 degrees camera provides the best range of angular views by permitting camera view of 360 degrees. Another important attribute of the cameras is that they can “digitally pan/tilt to anywhere in the scene and digitally zoom any scene area, have no moving parts such as no motors that can wear out, and permit multiple operators to view any part of the scene in real-time or at a later time”( Kruegle, 2011, p.48). Amid these advantages, Panoramic Cameras have high-resolution requirements. Shortcomings and advantages of different CCTV surveillance cameras present differing attributes, which determine the type of cameras chosen for a particular operation. The higher the visibility under no/or little light conditions, resolutions, tilt angles, higher image clarity, and higher field view, the higher the cost of the cameras.
Conclusion
Insecurity is a major issue that nations, organizations, and even individuals seeking to minimize. In this quest, several strategies are deployed including employing human security guards, police, and even building of perimeter walls and electric fences to minimize incidences of loss or damage of property. Since the 1950s, the use of surveillance cameras (CCTVs) became dominant in the security surveillance industry. The cameras have undergone processes of developments to constitute the current digital and Internet cameras with high visibility, high resolutions, and the ability to detect physical objects under the moonlight, starlight, or even no-light conditions such as thermal imaging cameras. Different types of cameras have different properties and the ability to detect risky situations within their places of installations. Such attributes affect the costs of the cameras; hence, the utmost decision on the type of camera selected for use in a given establishment. This paper discussed functionality, location considerations, camera configurations, and even the purposes for which CCTV cameras are installed to serve as some of the important factors, which determine the types of cameras installed in a facility and in public places. Although CCTVs are important in crime detection and preventions, this paper holds that they should not replace other physical security systems such as security guards and police.
Reference List
GOOLD, B., 2004. CCTV and Policing: Public Area Surveillance and Police Practices in Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
HONESS, T., and CHARMAN, E., 1992. Closed Circuit Television in Public Places. Police Research Group: Crime Prevention Unit Series. London: Home Office.
HOOD, J., 2003. Closed Circuit Television Systems: A Failure in Risk Communication. Journal of Risk Research 6(3), 233-251.
KRUEGLE, H., 2011. CCTV Surveillance: Video Practices and Technology. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
WARREN, A., and GILL, D., 2010. Good Practice Guide for Investigations. Warwickshire: The Security Institute.
WELSH, B., and FARRINGTON, P., 2004. Surveillance for Crime Prevention in Public Space: Results and Policy Choices in Britain and America. Criminology and Public Policy 3(3), 497-526.
Contemporary media is characterized by a considerable degree of violence, nudity, and inappropriate behavior. Some may argue that TV shows reflect the wrongs of the world, but this assumption is only a half-truth. It is rather naïve to expect that male filmmakers could be less dominating or concentrated on their power compared to other men living in this reality. Society can still be researched from the patriarchal perspective as the concepts of conflict, power, and dominance are still central (Hunnicutt 553). Remarkably, the belief that everyone sells is relevant as men try to sell themselves to achieve a higher position, which makes the word “whore” applicable in many settings and possessing many meanings. It is possible to analyze two scenes from the TV shows in question to consider the meanings behind the depiction of violence against women (VaW) and the use of the word “whore.”
Relevance of the Topic
It is pivotal to explore the display of VaW due to its prevalence in the media as well as the societies that proclaim democratic principles. For instance, although women in developed countries such as the USA or Canada enjoy various rights and occupy quite a high position in political and business spheres, thousands of females are still victimized. Violence against women is now regarded as one of the most serious health issues to be addressed on the national level (Krantz and Garcia-Moreno 818). VaW is referred to as an act leading to “physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts” (United Nations General Assembly). The increasing level of violence in the media and people’s lives can be associated with the reign of patriarchal beliefs and norms. The exploration of the link between VaW and patriarchal principles is essential as it can help in developing proper strategies to diminish violence in American society.
Key Terms and Definitions
It is also critical to examine the use of the word “whore” in the media due to several reasons. Firstly, the word is widely utilized in films and TV shows as well as people’s daily life. Secondly, the term is employed in a meaning that is different from its original definitions. Primary meanings of “whore” include a “prostitute” and a female who “has many sexual partners” (“Whore”). However, the word seems to acquire new meanings that are associated with humiliation, the idea of female inferiority, and patriarchal values. This research is based on the assumption that the utilization of the term “whore” in contemporary society has become common due to the prevalence of patriarchal standards and beliefs. This language item has become a form of violence against women as well as an instrument of control.
At this point, it is essential to introduce another key term that will guide this research. The concept of betrayal is dominant in the depiction of the relationship between genders in the TV shows under analysis. Betrayal can be defined as an act of being “disloyal to someone who trusts you, so that they are harmed or upset” (“Betrayal”). People start thinking about betrayal when their expectations are not met and when the ones they believe they can trust do some unexpected things. Trust is central to any kind of relationship, be it business or romance. When trust is compromised, partners find it difficult to maintain the existing relationship.
The concept of trust also needs certain consideration as it can be seen as a form of control or exercising power. In a way, trust is grounded on the premise that the person acts within certain boundaries and is eager to meet the expectations of the one who trusts them. In simple terms, people who trust other individuals believe that they control the situation. This notion is specifically apparent in the scene from The Sopranos, but it can be traced in Sons of Anarchy as well.
TV Shows Background Information
The shows depict the life of people related to criminal sub-cultures. The Sopranos is a show set in New Jersey that follows the life of Tony Soprano the head of an Italian-American criminal society. The protagonist has to balance his family life and his role as the leader of the group. The depictions related to the life of an ordinary American family are intermingled with the scenes of assassinations, fights, and other types of anti-social activities. A considerable part of the show, including the scenes under analysis, is set in the Bada Bing! the strip club where the members of the criminal society have rest and do business. Ralphie and Tracee are central characters to the scene in question. Ralphie is a member of the mafia who has quite a low status in society and tries to receive a promotion. Tracee is a 20-year-old stripper at Bada Bing! who claims that she is carrying Ralphie’s child.
The show Sons of Anarchy revolves around the protagonist Jax who is the vice-president of an outlaw motorcycle gang called Sons of Anarchy. Jax has a high position in this criminal community as his father founded it, but the young man’s rank is not secured, and he has to constantly reassert his authority. Society is involved in various criminal activities including burglary and murder. They also run a strip club among other businesses, and Jax makes sure that the venture is profitable and properly managed. Jax tends to employ various tools to achieve the established goals. The young man utilizes violence as one of the central instruments.
Brief Summary of the Scenes Under Analysis
Two scenes from two TV shows have been chosen due to their similar display of VaW and the overall concepts of power and gender roles. One of the scenes is from Sons of Anarchy, and the other one comes from The Sopranos. Both depict an interaction between male and female characters who have a sexual relationship. In both relationships, men dominate the females who are strippers. Their occupation and social status are central to the discussion of VaW due to their exposure to violence. Female sex workers are often seen as a “particular class of woman” who is “suited to stripping or who is less deserving of safety and sexual freedom” (qt. in Johnson). These females are at the lowest level of the social hierarchy as they are even lower than the rest of the women who have another (more respectable) status in society. Female sex workers are often socially marginalized and underprivileged and are prone to victimization, which is reflected in the scenes under analysis.
The male characters, Ralphie and Jax, see themselves as being within marginalized groups because of the confrontations that they have with the rest of society by violating some principles and laws. However, these men are in a higher place of power in their subgroups as compared to the women. At this point, it is important to stress that although the characters in these shows do not comply with many laws and moral values of the larger American society, they try to follow certain standards (Johnson). They have families and try to be similar to the rest of the society, at least, in one aspect of their life.
Illusions of Female Domination
It is noteworthy that the clips in question start with the depiction of the domination of women by men that proves to be a product of their delusion. Women seem to believe that their sexuality and some feminine qualities (pregnancy in Tracee’s case) can put them into the position of the one who is in charge. Nevertheless, in seconds it becomes clear that the female characters are mistaken and have to pay a high price for their errors. Importantly, this kind of delusion is also a byproduct of the patriarchal society where women are supposed to be beautiful and submissive, the ones who address males’ needs. Certain clichés emerge due to these views on gender roles, and women try to find their ways to exercise power within the scope of given rights. In simple terms, females are granted the right to be beautiful and sexy, so females try to make their sexuality a means to achieve certain goals.
The use of sexuality as a female instrument of control is depicted in the scene from the show Sons of Anarchy. The scene starts with Jax, one of the leaders of a gang, following a stripper who seems to be in control over the situation (“Jax Hitting the Prostitute”). The woman is smiling and starting to undress, and she is seemingly in control of the sexual power which she possesses over the men. However, the overall mood of the scene changes abruptly as Jax hits the girl and verbally abuses her as he holds his hand on her neck as if he is ready to strangle her.
The Use of Music
In this scene, the back music is quite romantic, but it intensifies and serves as an emphasis to display the destroyed dignity of the female. The music illustrates the argument discussed above and enhances the effect of the scene. The romantic portion at the beginning stands for the world of the woman with her beliefs and ideas, as well as her delusions, but the intensified piece depicts the men’s world with its harsh rules and the focus on domination. The filmmakers put an emphasis on the second part of the scene where the status of the man as a superior human being is manifested with the use of VaW.
Extreme Violence and Settings
The Sopranos scene similarly, begins with a dominant position of the female character, Tracee, who reveals her dissatisfaction with the behavior of her sexual partner, Ralph Cifaretto. Tracee is a stripper who faces social issues attached to the stigma of her chosen profession, but she dreams about a home “suburban, normal, loving, tidily poised at the end curve of a New Jersey cul-de-sac” (Johnson). The woman is supposedly pregnant with Ralph’s child and tries to use this fact to exercise her power. However, the man brutally breaks her dreams by pointing at Tracee’s low social position. The girl tries to question Ralphie’s power by verbally confronting him and even heating him in his face (“Ralph Beaten and Murdered Girl Tracee”). The girl does little harm to the man in terms of his physical state but damages his sense of masculinity. Nevertheless, in order to regain his higher status (according to the patriarchal paradigm he follows), he violently attacks the girl beating her to death.
The brutality of the scene is enhanced with the use of the urban setting. The murder takes place in the street near the strip club. It is dark and only distant sounds of moving cars can be heard. The gloomy setting is suggestive as it reflects the life of Tracee, as well as any other stripper, whose life passes mainly in the nighttime. The setting plays an important role in telling the story of the stripper and the tragic end of her life. The filmmakers create the atmosphere radiating violence as the dirty street is commonplace for violent crimes including murder. These places are free from any laws of the society just like the life of the stripper does not count for many. Tracee was left alone with the male who was in control of her life since he could marry her and improve her social status but did not do it.
Camera Movement
The choice of camera angles is also illustrative in terms of the depiction of VaW in the TV shows under analysis. At the beginning of both scenes, the filmmakers employ over-the-shoulder shots that are commonly used to depict a conversation between characters. Notably, the female characters are wearing high heels, which makes them taller than their partners. This camera angle is instrumental in displaying women’s dominance in the first part of the scenes. However, the filmmakers choose low angles when depicting the acts of violence. The victims are lying while men use their physical power. Again, the filmmakers try to enhance the effect of the scene of the attempts to question males’ power and punishment that follows. The use of such contrasts is instrumental in creating a specific (patriarchal) picture of the world. The focus on punishment and horrible consequences for females in the shows serves as not a mere depiction of the society but a suggested framework to follow.
The Use of the Word “Whore”
The major opposing detail between the two scenes is the way in which this power is illustrated and performed. Jax intimidates the woman and points at her place in the club using the word “whore” and spitting upon her face. As mentioned above, the man does not utilize the primary meaning of the term “whore” (a female having many sexual partners or a prostitute) but focuses on the new attributes of the verbal unit. The word acquires the connotation of the creature with the lowest status in society. It can be regarded as a verbal form of spitting in the face and walking all over the person. This brutal act is utilized in the show to reveal the male’s dominance while the language highlights and enhances the woman’s low position. In this scene, the man strips the woman of her dignity using physical force and verbal humiliation. Notably, the use of violence in this scene is hardly justified, and it seems that the filmmakers do not reflect the reality but construct the reality based on their own beliefs and vision or fantasies.
In The Sopranos scene, Ralph also uses the word “whore” as a means of showing disrespect and dominance. The man emphasizes that Tracee has no right or power to expect any social privilege such as proper family life. The girl would be happy to have a family with such attributes of the American way of life as a house in a suburban area and strong family values. However, when she tries to prove her true value and defend her dignity, Ralph uses violence. He hits the girl and does not stop until she is lying dead on the ground. This scene is characterized by an excessive level of brutality where a man has no limits and feels that he has the right to take a female’s life. When he sees the dead body of the woman carrying his child, he shows no sign of remorse or compassion since the girl is not worth it according to his beliefs.
VaW in the Media
At this point, it is necessary to consider the concept of betrayal that is recurrent in the TV shows under analysis. Betrayal and even trade are characteristic features of the two scenes as men punish females for their disobedience, betrayal of the established relationships, and questioning male power. VaW is depicted as males’ response to the act of betrayal or an act of punishment. Females dared to question males’ authority and their right to make decisions and distribute roles, which led to such consequences. Johnson states that the concept of prostitution can be easily traced in Ralph’s life. Such components as trade and trust, as well as position and prestige, are important for the analysis of this claim. Ralphie is trying to sell himself to become a respected member of the mafia.
This member of the criminal group tries to win more authority or sell himself at the highest possible price. Because of the way that he sells himself I argue that he can also be referred to as a “whore” who sells certain services for some gains. This fact might be one of the reasons Ralph uses the word “whore” when attacking Tracee. Subconsciously, he feels he is a “whore” but tries not to think about it. Finally, the concept of trade is manifested in Ralph’s attitude towards the young girl. The man sees her as a kind of commodity or a means of deriving pleasure. Likewise, Jax believes that every girl in the show, including the one he beats, is the property of the club and his property in a certain way.
Patriarchal Principles and VaW
These views are constructed within the limits of the patriarchal perspective, according to which men, who are superior, are in complete control over women who are inferior. Patriarchal conventions are associated with a stern social stratification and hierarchy where men are at the top (Hunnicutt 564). In highly patriarchal societies, fathers are still regarded as a major source of justice for family members. These patriarchal family values are only some of the numerous manifestations of males’ dominance in the modern world. In sub-cultures, leaders of certain communities take up the role of the father who is responsible for awarding and punishing. Due to the rules and instruments used in such circles, punishment often takes the form of physical violence. The scene from The Sopranos is suggestive as Ralphie punished the girl for disobedience and betrayal while Tony, the leader of the criminal group, punishes the man for his disrespect and violence against a young girl.
The scenes under consideration can serve as an illustration of the way patriarchal society affects the media and impacts people’s minds through media. The high position of males is regarded as well-established and justified due to the superior view of men according to the patriarchal perspective. Historically, men are seen as human beings who are capable of making strategic decisions and maintaining proper order (Hunnicutt 553). Traditionally females are viewed as creatures who can hardly contribute to the development of society and whose responsibilities should be confined to families and households (Hunnicutt 562). In simple terms, men have gained absolute power and have the right to assign tasks to be performed by women. Moreover, men also have the power to punish females (with or without reasons) and even decide whether their subordinates can live or should die. The scenes under analysis are an illustration of the most extreme manifestation of the patriarchal approach.
Some people may declare that the level of gender equality has become unprecedentedly high, but it is far from being the truth. As Hunnicutt puts it, the term patriarchal, although mainly abandoned, can still be applied to society because it is still characterized by conflict and dominance (553). Miklitsch states that filmmakers tend to utilize a considerable amount of violence and nudity to popularize their media products (181). In other words, modern society longs for the display of these aspects of life due to the governance of patriarchal values and beliefs.
The vicious circle related to the spread of violence includes filmmakers who show VaW and viewers who buy such products. The humiliation and dominance are depicted in detail and promoted by the creators of the TV shows in question. The filmmakers of The Sopranos claimed that they tried to draw people’s attention to people’s vices and initiate the corresponding discourse (Johnson). However, no negative attitude towards male characters’ actions can be found in their depictions of a moral vice, as even the first thing the head of the criminal group says when he sees the girl’s dead body is related to disrespecting the place. He reveals some sorrow concerning the death of the young girl only after exerting his dominance to a point of finality. The scene from Sons of Anarchy ends with Jax leaving the room and the girl lying on the floor, wretched and humiliated, but no sign of compassion is present. The filmmakers put an emphasis on this position, and the camera looks down on the stripper.
Audience Reactions
The reaction of the audience (or rather its male part) is similar to the one Jax and Ralphie, as well as any other man, display. An illustration of the perspective of the audience is the commentaries below the video clips on YouTube. People’s reactions to the display of violence also show the extent to which VaW is tolerated in modern society. Clearly, the number of comments is insufficient to generalize the results of the analysis, but they still represent certain trends that exist in society.
As far as the scene from Sons of Anarchy is concerned, the viewers (who are predominantly males) have a negative attitude towards a woman and approve of Jax’s behavior (“Jax Hitting the Prostitute”). They see the protagonist’s actions as a proper way to punish the girl and point at her low position. Interestingly, one of the comments is the word “whore” in capital letters, which can be regarded as a manifestation of the influence of the media. The viewer calls the female character a whore, which resonates with Jax’s verbal violence against the woman. Another commentary includes a regret that Jax is not more violent and “didn´t went all “Irréversible” style on her,” which “would have been good” (“Jax Hitting the Prostitute”). It is clear that after watching scenes of violence, the only discussion that takes place, in this case, is associated with the need to display more VaW.
It is noteworthy that the comments below the video clip featuring Ralphie and Tracee are very different from the ones discussed above. The viewers reveal their disapproval of the male character’s actions and express their sorrow as to the girl’s horrible death (“Ralph Beaten and Murdered Girl Tracee”). It seems that the filmmakers achieved their goal and drew people’s attention to such burning issues as domestic violence or VaW. The discussion evolves around the cruelty against women as well as violence displayed in the media. Male and female viewers express similar opinions on the matter and emphasize that Ralphie needs to be punished for his crime.
Again, some viewers use the word “whore” and state that even such a woman does not deserve this kind of death. Importantly, commentators seem to share the opinion that sex workers or indecent women are in some way inferior to respectable females. People still put an emphasis on the social position of the girl and tend to believe that cruelty and violence are typical of the sex industry. VaW in such sub-groups is seen as a norm so the fact that the young woman is killed is not shocking. The way she is killed is what impresses viewers most.
One of the comments is specifically valuable and reflects the hypocrisy of the filmmakers and the patriarchal society. The viewer under the nick Dave Hansen expresses his discontent with the fact that Tony beats Ralphie for the latter’s killing a girl but murders him for killing a horse later in the show (“Ralph Beaten and Murdered Girl Tracee”). Dave Hansen stresses that the life of a horse seems to be more valuable than a young woman’s life. This idea is also relevant when Tony’s first reaction is depicted. The head of the criminal group talks about disrespect to the place rather than the murder of an innocent girl. The filmmakers reveal the hierarchy of values in the patriarchal world where female life is made equal to the safety of some property.
Conclusion
It is possible to state the close reading of two scenes unveils the peculiarities of the use of violence in the media. The TV shows under analysis reflect the major trends taking place in society, but they also inflict filmmakers’ vision on the matter. The scenes under consideration serve as a bright illustration of the relationships between men and women outside the boundaries of respectable society. Women of a certain class (usually sex workers) are regarded as victimized objects of trade. Men are supposed to dominate, and females are expected to be submissive, which is the foundation of the existing world order. The scenes are void of any satire or preaching but seem to be a guide for people to follow where gender roles are distributed in accordance with patriarchal values. The reactions of the audience show that the depiction of brutality tends to evoke more violence or the need to watch more violent scenes. Although the scenes also aroused a discussion of domestic violence and VaW, patriarchal views were apparent and sometimes dominant.
Works Cited
“Betrayal.”Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online, Web.
Hunnicutt, Gwen. “Varieties of Patriarchy and Violence Against Women: Resurrecting “Patriarchy” as a Theoretical Tool.” Violence Against Women, vol. 15, no. 5, 2009, pp. 553-573.
Krantz, Gunilla, and Claudia Garcia-Moreno. “Violence Against Women.” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, vol. 59, no. 10, 2005, pp. 818-821.
Miklitsch, Robert. “Shot/Counter-shot: Sexuality, Psychoanalysis, and Postmodern Style in The Sopranos.” New Review of Film and Television Studies, vol. 2, no. 2, 2004, pp. 181-209.
Many social scholars contend that media can make people learn crimes and legal defences against such crimes (Hewitt & Osborne1995: Davies & Jupp 1999). The problem for such an experience is that some people may normalise certain crimes on the grounds of the existence of the legal litigation deployed by say, character A, to evade the action of the force of the law successfully.
Different forms of media may help to contract deviant behaviour, public opinion of certain political issues, and social issues differently (Cavender 2004, p.336). This paper does not dig into details of how all the forms media impact these facets.
Rather, the attention of the paper is dedicated to TV series with particular focus on the use of legal themes and the depiction of legal characters in the fourth series of The Good Wife (USA 2009-2013).
The paper argues that media is an impeccable platform for offering cultural templates for people involved in deviant activities. This argument reinforces the perception that media owes people an apology for not only causing but also taking a central role in informing crime.
Background to The Good Wife
The Good Wife features Alicia, acted by Juliana Margulies who is the mother. She is compelled by economic challenges arising from imprisonment of her husband (Peter Florrick) to abandon her housewifely roles to rejoin her career in law to make both ends meet for her family.
The imprisonment of Alicia’s husband accrues from his implication with sex crimes and political corruption scandals. Working as a defence Antony, Alicia has to sacrifice many of her morals by defending her clients in the effort to make sure that she puts bread on top of the table for her children and or provide a stable housing for them.
Through other characters in The Good Wife, the audience sees incredible interplay of law and politics of the current and recent past America. In this sense, political ideas and opinions shared in the American society are drawn into the entertainment pretext in the form of analogies.
Although The Good Wife may be seen as a disguised attack or a reflection of some phenomenon issues that have been experienced in practice in America, it gives the audience an opportunity to peruse the reality and appropriateness of the existing legal frameworks in shaping the American society.
In spite of the fact that issues such as sex scandals that have resulted in falls of prominent political figures in the US may be dismissed on the grounds of being political gimmick, The Good Wife creates a picture that this issue is indeed a reality that the American society has to address.
Cultural templates coupled with people’s lifestyles and their criticisms are greatly explored. For instance, an intense debate is created in court on whether drowning of Trey was instigated by Wayne’s hatred for gays.
Consequently, it remains solid that The Good Wife reflects the politics of the modern US given that politics of sexual orientation in relation to universal human rights have struck the American political and cultural atmosphere in a magnificent way (Bockting, Autumn & Coleman 2009, p. 688).
After setting on stage these pressing legal problems, The Good Wife then proceeds to lay down controversial issues, which give rise to complex legal cases, which various characters attempt to resolve. Treatment of these cases and the portrayal of the characters suggest specific political views among the audience. The views may lead to normalisation and justifications of certain crimes coupled with eliciting of deviant behaviours.
Legal themes and the depiction of legal characters
In all the series of The Good Wife, Alicia is depicted as a legal character who is used together with Diane among other characters to explore legal themes arising from matters that are of concern to the public in America. In the second series of The Good Wife, politics of sexual orientation were dominant themes.
For instance, the audience meets Alicia Florrick who is much at ease with her brother who happens to be a gay. Consequently, it is arguable that, in the second series of The Good Wife, an attempt is made to inform and influence the audience to take the position that all people in the US are acceptable within the eyes of the law irrespective of their sexual inclinations. This assertion is further developed in the fourth series.
One of the dominant questions with regard to the manner in which media displays crime is whether it presents justice for all people irrespective of their cultural and political differences (Strickland et al. 2006). In the fourth series of The Good Wife, there is a speculation that Wayne could have drowned Trey out of his hatred for being gay. However, it is clear that no one is completely sure about this matter.
The lawyers go seeking for evidence. For this reason, Alicia and Diane call Beth Alexandra to testify and make clarifications of her relationship with Trey. She claims that she has had sex with Trey hence confirming that he was not a gay. She reiterated that Trey originated from a religious family.
Hence, it was doubtful that he could have sex with his fellow men. In this extent, the fourth series of The Good Wife strikes hard on the perceptions that gays are not acceptable in the society since their actions are non-religious thus making The Good Wife a tool for justifying deviant behaviours and for justifications of crimes against gays.
The fact that Beth thinks that Trey was a religious man and that he did not have sex with men means that the Wayne’s act of killing his friend Trey intentionally was justifiable if indeed Trey was a gay.
This mixture of lines of view in reaction to sexual orientation is perhaps a true reflection of American politics in which gays were denied rights to even participate in public gatherings (Eskridge 1993, p.113: Bockting, Autumn & Coleman 2009, p.692) because it was unacceptable mannerism.
The gay history in the US is not anything to go by since gays were at one time in their history forcefully jailed and considered outcasts in the society.
This situation persisted until various key political icons including president barrack Obama came out openly to declare that they supported respect for human rights irrespective of one’s racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, economic status, and political status among other demographic diversities.
However, this argument does not mean that gays have been accepted within the society as a whole. The Good Wife evidences this assertion through presentation of Wayne as a character who is not free to talk about the culture.
Although Beth convinces Kalinda that Trey was not a gay, Kalinda continues to draw and associate his killing to perceptions of people that he could have been a gay claiming that such a perception could have elicited hate crimes.
Being caught in this dilemma, which is perhaps well reflected on the actual dilemma in practice, Diane proposes that to get a first account on what Wayne thought or never thought, it was better that Kalinda conducts a direct interview on Wayne while still held behind bars.
Wayne is not even free to talk about it until he is threatened that, if he does not provide guidance to Kalinda on the subject, he would have a personal suffering in that, in case he killed Trey out of his hatred for gays, he would have his jail term increased by 20- years.
Although Clad who is gay and a childhood friend to Wayne clarifies that Trey was not a gay, the conversation of the subject is still not yet settled in the court since differing dimensions of perceptions are still evident with the defence maintaining that Clad could have been seen as a friend by Wayne as opposed to being a gay.
This case implies that The Good Wife fights to the last beat to present gay culture as a sexual orientation having negative perceptions among the public. This situation is worse in The Good Wife since even the judge seems to take sides on the subject.
Discussion of Alicia as legal character and a symbol for justice calls for consideration of the dimensions of justice as developed by social-legal studies. In case of substantive justice, effort is made to discuss and evaluate the likely outcomes of a given case coupled with the implications of the results (Asimow & Mader 2004, p.25).
Procedural justice investigates the process adopted to arrive at the justice (Cardozo, 1998, p.11). As a procedural justice symbol, Alicia who acts as a legal symbol for fighting for gays’ justice in a big way in the fourth of the series of The Good Wife complains to the judge that one cannot commit a hate crime simply because one is opposed to another person’s mannerisms.
However, the judge maintains that the discussion was vital in the legal context since mere perception would truncate into hate and hence a catalyst for crime. This position is not welcomed in the public domain since there are several debates in the episode around the topic claiming that even the judge could be a gay.
He admits to these claims by claiming that people may think he was actually gay until they became cognisant that he was married.
With regard to being a procedural justice symbol, Alicia is much aware of the presumption of innocence until found guilty. She is also concerned that fairness is the appropriate vessel for delivering justice to all. For instance, in the fourth series of The Goods Wife, the audience encounters Alicia and Diane interviewing Beth to dig into the heart of the challenge of determining whether Trey was a gay or not.
The interviewers want to gain substantive evidence to counter the allegations made by the defence group claiming that Trey’s fate was related to hate crimes. Indeed, this argument demonstrates that Alicia is cautious in her approach to legal battles. This strategy creates a solid foundation for holding the position that media may portray justice while well managed (Rapping 2003: Gies 2008).
In the contemporary American society, all lawyers are perceived to be vessels of justice. Unfortunately, this case does not hold always as demonstrated in the fourth series of The Good Wife. For instance, the university’s defence lawyer changes from one tactic to another to ensure that his client remains immune from being implicated with the circumstances leading to the death of Trey.
He first approaches the case by pushing for $500,000 settlement fee. When this case is rejected, he shifts to framing the issue to attract political opinion of the emotive matters characterising the American society: sexual orientations.
The Antony claims that Trey’s death culminated from a hate crime since he was gay according to him meaning that the university could not have anticipated in the most reasonable contemplation that such a tragedy would occur. Hence, the university cannot assume strict liability. In yet a different scenario, Eli admits that he lies to earn her living.
Media and Crime
Although media is an important tool for bringing into the public scrutiny how social challenges such as the implication with crimes are handled by the systems of law, it does not escape scot free from accusation for its capacity to provide avenues for instilling the belief that criminals can escape justice by raising strong defences (Carrabine 2008, p.78).
In fact, fictional TV series are identified as having a magnificent capacity to tell crime stories, expound, and criticise the state of laws within a nation, and how legal personnel handle situation calling for execution of justice (Asimow 2009: Robinson & Silbey 2012). Nevertheless, a challenge is evident in the TV shows since they have limited or even absolute inability to distinguish reality and fiction (Asimow et al. 2005, p.411).
In The Good Wife, crime is a phenomenal issue, which helps to build the TV series narratives. The crimes are based on true-life experiences in the American society. In the fourth series, the audience encounters Trey being murdered over reasons widely suspected to be driven by differences in ways of thought of social and cultural issues reminiscent to different opposing views adopted by liberals and conservatives.
In 2007, an American student (Amanda Knox) was convicted over murdering his roommate (British in origin) in Italy. In the fourth series of The Good Wife, the analogy of this incident is reflected through the tale and subsequent legal redress for the murder of Trey by his teammate Wayne.
Scrutiny of these two comparisons raises the question of whether media actually justifies that the society is evil and or whether incidents of people taking the law in their hands are normal.
The danger is that people watching The Good Wife may absorb this information and use it to justify their future acts of crime against their fellow citizens on the accounts that legal frameworks can shield them from facing the repercussions of their criminal acts.
This move would perhaps occur where the traits in the evil and criminal characters in the media go unpunished or receive punishments that are below par in comparison to the crimes committed. It is important to note that, in mass media, the audience is much aware of the true nature and traits of the characters since they (audience) are priory shown the suspects of the crimes committing the offences (Luhmann 2000).
This claim means that the audience digs into the application of law to punish crimes with anticipations of particular threshold of punishment. When this threshold is not delivered, high probabilities exist that the audience may develop criminal and deviant behaviour in anticipation that they would also come out scot free in a court of law.
The Good Wife may be thinly interpreted as the true depiction of the nature of the political class in America through the story of Eliot Spitzer (Ridley 2009). Spitzer quitted from the gubernatorial seat in 2008 upon being caught up with a prostitute in a hotel based in Washington, DC.
Peter Florrick is also caught in a parallel situation. Unfortunately, for the case of Peter, the audience is aware that he indeed committed the act. In the case of Spitzer, the same audience would treat the case as an allegation. Therefore, media tends to confirm the conceptions of people about the incidences shaping the political area as real and truthful.
In the future, in case a public figure is suspected to have committed similar crimes to those portrayed in the media, the audience will most likely consider such a person guilty of the offense by virtue of the fact that media portrays such people as attempting to run away from their responsibility through their defence lawyers.
The story of The Good Wife is narrated in Chicago, Illinois. This city had earned a bad reputation in relation to corruption when Rod Blagojevich attempted to sell Obama’s seat upon the departure of president Obama from the US senate. Consequently, the Rod Blagojevich lost his governorship.
In The Good Wife, a similar tale is told. Peter is depicted as suffering in jail for his corrupt acts. Although his defence lawyers attempt to have their client freed, a strong message is sent to the audience that criminal acts attract heavy penalties.
However, does this imply that the political class is corrupt in nature and that it faces the law only in the event its members are caught? What about when they are not caught? Does it mean corruption is o.k. in such a situation? The response to these queries may result in deviant behaviour among the audience of The Good Wife and other similar series reflecting the political, social, and economic malpractices in the society.
Conclusion
Topical issues reflecting the political, economic, and social themes prevailing within a given society or nations may be brought into the public lime light, discussions, and scrutiny in a variety of ways. Movie and TV series portrayals are amongst one of the subtle ways for realising this endeavour.
In such movies and TV series, themes of law, crime, and or how media presents these ailing challenges for the society are dominant. Although media may help to set platforms for challenging certain acts in the society outside the legal settings (courts), it may lead to contraction of negative profiling for persons tagged as law and social norms violators through the narration of episodes involving crimes.
This argument attracts an immense debate on the capacity of media to aid in not only the development of deviant behaviour but also in reinforcement of the behaviour among the audience. This debate was pre-visited in the paper through the scrutiny of The Good Wife, which is an American CBS TV series with particular emphasis on the fourth series.
References
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For this assignment, I have chosen to examine television broadcasting as a medium and type of popular culture. As for the topic, I want to discuss the relationship between the minority and dominant groups on TV. This can include both how TV portrays the groups, and how their interactions are reflected in television media. The relationship between dominant and minority groups has changed throughout television history, with aspects such as characterization, visibility, and realism considerably increasing in quality. TV, as a tool of entertainment, information provision, and education frames minority groups differently, causing people to develop specific views regarding themselves and others. I think this subject is sociologically relevant because visual media and television in particular have a close relationship with society. First, television can be seen as a reflection of prevalent ideological, cultural, and historical trends, acting as a reflection of reality (Tukachinsky et al., 2015). Secondly, TV can also be viewed as a tool that shapes people’s worldviews, including their perception of the self and others. The relationship between minority groups and dominant groups as seen on TV, then, reflects and primes people to see group relations in a certain way.
The topic can be seen as a more thorough discussion on the portrayal of power and society in media. The concept of power and social dominance, in particular, can be used to explain the state of modern-day television. The dominant group, through its access to power, resources, and communication channels, is able to create and promote narratives, while minority groups struggle to get the same outreach. Systematic social issues also play a large role in this discussion, being responsible for the large part of social inequality between different groups.
I think that learning more about this topic will be productive for my learning experience. Understanding how media frames social relationships is the first step toward critically consuming media, which is especially important to do. Without proper critical assessment, it is easy to fall for misinformation, misrepresentation, and propaganda. Furthermore, a deeper look into television media can allow one to better understand their own inherent biases or predispositions. Investigating this topic further will give me valuable information regarding the history of group relations within the television sphere, while also making historical trends apparent.
In everyday life, this discussion can be beneficial in a variety of ways. I will have a more critical and informed look at the media I consume or recommend to people. Furthermore, I will also be able to challenge more difficult topics or discussions about TV representation with a wider pool of knowledge. Similarly, I think that researching this specific topic can help me understand how other large institutions operate. The presence of unseen biases or structural discrimination, systemic lack of diversity in many industries, as well as the accumulation of power in the hands of the few rare problems that the TV industry shares with many other systems.
In conclusion, I think that discussing the relationship between dominant and minority groups as it is seen on TV is an important and academically intriguing task. With a large pool of information regarding changes in the television industry, discussing the potential implications of media becomes more fruitful. In reviewing how the visual media regards major social groups, one can see the reflection of both current and past problems, many of which spread into other areas.