Week Nine: IPL and Hollywoodisation

When considering an entertainment industry affected by 'Hollywoodisation', I have decided to focus on a slightly alternative category besides from film, music, television or video games. One of the largest entertainment industries in the world- the sports industry, hasn't been immune from 'Hollywoodisation', with the global game of cricket particularly affected. For the purpose of this post I will focus on Twenty20 cricket tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL), and how it has been 'Hollywoodized'.

The IPL, originally established in 2007, exhibits many characteristics of 'Hollywoodisation'. According to the Oxford Dictionary, 'Hollywoodisation' is the 'adaption of a story or series of events so as to conform to the supposed norms of a typical Hollywood film, especially in respect of being unrealistically glamorous, exciting, or simplistic.'

A traditional sport, often referred to as the 'gentleman's game', cricket in India has undeniably been made more glamorous and exciting in recent years. The IPL, known for its phenomenal commercial success, utilises many Hollywood-like techniques to draw in more fans. Entertainment such as cheerleaders and fireworks (more commonly associated with American sports such as baseball and basketball, rather than the traditionally conservative sport of cricket) are a centrepiece of the entire show surrounding the IPL. The embracement by Indian cricket authorities of 'gimmicks' most commonly associated with American sporting events, demonstrates what Klein (2004) refers to when discussing 'Hollywoodisation'- a story of 'integration and denationalization'.

Image by neeno sports

Another exciting technique used to boost the profile of the IPL was the online streaming of the entire tournament via YouTube. The IPL became the first sporting event to be broadcast live on YouTube when the agreement was reached in 2010. This innovation was another technique employed by tournament organisers to 'Hollywoodize' the tournament.

The 'Hollywoodisation' techniques outlined above received mass media coverage when first employed and were immediately recognisable to long-time cricket fans. Due to the traditionally conservative nature of cricket (especially in India), the 'gimmicks' used during the IPL were an obvious example of how an entertainment industry can be involved in a process of integration and denationalization- otherwise referred to as 'Hollywoodisation'.



References

Klein, C 2004, 'Martial arts and the globalization of US and Asian film industries', Comparative American Studies: An International Journal, Sage Publications, London

Week Eight: Celebrities and Social Media

Celebrities have latched onto the phenomenon of social media in an attempt to build their brand and easily communicate with their fans. Sites such as Twitter and Facebook are increasingly being used as a vehicle for celebrities to manufacture their ideal public persona and carefully control the aspects of their personal life which enter the public domain. Social media also offers the chance for celebrities to personally communicate with fans, which is another crucial tactic in shaping their public image.

Image Courtesy of oh no they didn't!

Marshall (2010) refers to the specular economy as the place 'where we are becoming more conscious of how we present ourselves and how others perceive us.' Celebrities posting on Twitter and Facebook are often operating within the specular economy, as they are attempting to personally craft a favourable public perception. Previously, a celebrity's image was most often crafted thought the media, with this portrayal not always an overly kind representation. Marshall (2010) discussed this benefit of social media for celebrities when outlining the 'relatively new capacity to send via the Internet messages and images outwards that circumvent the gatekeeping and controlling mechanisms of broadcast and print media.'

Social media also provides a fantastic opportunity for celebrities to personally interact with their fans, whether it's by responding to a post or 'retweeting' a fan's thoughts. Former NFL star Chad Ochocinco is one celebrity who has used social media effectively in the past to engage fans and shape a favourable public perception of himself. A prolific tweeter and UStream user, Ochocinco announced on the medium in 2009 that he would tweet from the end zone at some stage of the season. When his idea was rebuffed by the league, Ochocinco found a novel way to stick to his plan- run a Twitter competition where a fan would be chosen to fly to each of his games and tweet on his behalf. While Ochocinco's idea may be considered as eccentric, it demonstrates the positives associated with celebrity social media use and fan interaction.

Image Courtesy of Bleeding Green Nation

Social media, which offers 'a different structure through which the famed construct their public image' (Marshall, 2010), provides a fantastic opportunity for celebrities to personally engage their fans while developing a favourable public image.



References

Marshall, D 2010, 'The Specular Economy', Symposium: Celebrity Around the World, retrieved 25/9/13, URL, p. 498-502

Week Seven: Madden and Reading Strategies

As the majority of computer games I am interested in have a strong sporting flavour, this blog post will focus on a long-standing sports game which requires gamers to employ different reading strategies to interpret the text in front of them.

The Madden computer game series, currently celebrating its 25th year, focuses on the phenomenally popular American sport of NFL or American Football, as it is also known. During this post, the different reading strategies used by gamers to interpret the representations of race and age in Madden will be analysed.  

Robert Griffin 111 as depicted in Madden

Courtesy of mymaddenpad

According to Hall (1973), a dominant-hegemonic reading or preferred reading is those that ‘have the institutional/political/ideological order imprinted in them and have themselves become institutionalised.’  Simply put, a dominant-hegemonic or preferred reading reflects society’s expected or commonly held view of a particular group or person.

In early versions of the Madden franchise, such as Madden 93 (below), player appearance and characteristics such as race and age were replicated across each team represented in the game. These representations were designed to reflect the stereotype of an American football player in the early 1990’s- big, brawny men, with the majority bearing an African-American appearance. With no distinguishing features, such as facial features, hair etc. available for gamers to single out a particular player, gamers regularly adopted a ‘preferred’ reading when interpreting the game.

Screenshot of John Madden Football '93

Courtesy of emuparadise

As the game has developed over the years, the introduction of ‘My Player’ mode has allowed audiences to interpret the game using an oppositional reading. According to Hall (1973) an oppositional reading makes it ‘possible for a viewer perfectly to understand both the literal and the connotative inflection given by a discourse but to decode the message in a globally contrary way.’ ‘My Player’ mode allows the gamer to alter their American footballers’ age, race and other aspects of their appearance until they are left with the desired characteristics. While a gamer recognises that most American football players are young, tall and muscle-bound, ‘My Player’ offers a gamer the opportunity to reject this notion and create an old, short and skinny player if desired. This example illustrates how an oppositional reading can be used to interpret the Madden computer game.

Madden 'My Player' Mode

Courtesy of ign

Week Six: Workplace Blogging

The increasing prominence of social networking and blogging sites in our everyday lives has offered the opportunity to share our opinions to a worldwide audience with a simple click of a mouse. A topic commonly discussed by online bloggers surrounds workplaces and the various incidents which occur throughout day-to-day working life. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and online blogs have provided an avenue for employees to discuss the happenings of their workplace, with both positive and negative results.

According to Richards and Kosmala (2013), workplace bloggers 'display a strong sense of loyalty and dedication to their job, profession or occupation. However, even the most loyal employees are also capable of being cynical and making cynical comments about their employing organisation.' This comment recognises both the positives and negatives associated with blogging about the workplace.

On the positive side of things, blogging has allowed employees to engage in 'settled and organised social movements' (Richards and Kosmala, 2013). In simple terms, this means employees now have the opportunity to discuss ways to improve the workplace environment in an online forum. For example, online 'think tanks' can be conducted where employees are able to bounce their ideas to improve the organisation off one another. While workplace blogging does bear some positives, I believe the negatives associated with the practice are far more prominent.

Richards and Kosmala (2013) believe those who regularly blog about work 'have taken such critical commentary and discussions to rapidly emerging and expanding internet platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter.' Posting about work and other employees on social media sites is where the practice of workplace blogging can become a problem. In my relatively short time in the workforce, I have encountered many cases of employees being sanctioned for negatively discussing the workplace, management or other employees on social media sites. Guarding an organisation from social media attacks is an increasing focus for management with social media policies (such as Swimming Australia's) an important tool used to govern employees.

The ability of employees to discuss workplace practices on online forums and social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter undoubtably offers both positive and negative repercussions for organisations, ensuring this remains an area for management to closely monitor.

References

Richards, J & Kosmala 2013, 'In the end, you can only slag people off for so long’: employee cynicism through work blogging, 'New Technology, Work and Employment', p. 69, 72

Swimming Australia Social Media, Blogging and Internet Guidelines for the Australian Swim Team, Coaches, Staff and other Swimming Australia members, retrieved 10/9/13, URL-http://www.swimming.org.au/assets/console/document/documents/Swimming%20Australia%20Social%20Media%20Guidelines1.pdf