Final Thoughts by Daniella Sousa

I am very happy that this podcast is finally over. It was a very time consuming and an extremely frustrating project. I found myself wondering why I was even making a podcast because I wasn't in a digital media class. All of my research and written work was completed ahead of time, but composing the podcast was difficult. Living in a house with 8 people makes it very hard to find somewhere quiet to record, and you can't record in the library because you can't make any noise. I also had technical difficulties with my computer --crashed so I had to reboot the whole system. This was very frustrating since I had all of my research and my transcript completed, but I had to ask for an extension because I could not record my podcast. I think it would be a lot better if we just had to compose the transcript with all the research and not have to physically make the podcast. Plus most of us are amateurs at recording and editing sound and don't have the proper recording tools, so it doesn't sound as good as it should.
On another note, I feel happy with the outcome of my podcast because a lot of time was spent on it. I feel my research was thoroughly done and I had a lot of interesting facts. I have learned a lot about smoking advertisements through this project. I do, although, wish that I had more knowledge of how to edit sound and I wish I had better recording tools so my podcast could sound more professional.  The advice I would offer on anyone taking this course is to educate themselves about recording softwares and start recording early because you my run into technical difficulties like I did.

It's Doctor Recommended: How Advertisers Manipulate Consumers

Industries have created a new, ground breaking art form that can control the minds of people. It is an expression of human creative skill and imagination but in an unexpected, twisted way. It can be written, drawn, painted, sung, danced, or composed –this art form can be presented through multiple forms. But it is like no other art because it contains the ability to control how people live their lives, how they think, how they act, and how they spend. What can this art form possibly be? You may ask. It is the art every advertiser uses to get more money in their bank accounts. It is the art of manipulation:the art of exerting clever, devious influences for the company’s own advantage. They do not care how the product affects you; they only care how the product affects their pockets. My topic is formulated to fit CBC Radio’s podcast show “Under the Influence” with Terry O’Reilly. Since manipulation is a broad topic, I will try to solve the problem of how advertisers are able to manipulate us, through tobacco ads. After carefully analyzing the audience of “Under the Influence” through mediums like Terry O’Reilly’s episode “Dear Terry”, where listeners sent in unsolved questions that they had about advertisements like: “how do ads grab our attention even when they don’t really advertise anything?” or “does having the same actors in TV ads help hinder the brand they represent?”; I discovered that the listeners of this podcast enjoy learning the fundamentals of advertising. This is why I chose to explore how advertisers are able to use manipulation through tobacco ads in the 50s.I believe this issue is an important topic because everyone in Western culture is affected by the advertising they see in the media –I will like to explain to all of you how companies are able to control our lifestyle and how they affect our way of life through the example of tobacco. The broader issue I wish to cover is to show listeners how we are all truly under the influence of advertisements through their unique ability to control our minds. The complex, imaginative, omnipotent, devious art form of manipulation has changed the world we know and I will like to show you how.

Week 9: Software by Daniella Sousa

The recording and editing software I am considering using is the Free Audio Editor. I have never used this software before but I have been researching tutorials about how to use the Free Audio Editor and I have discovered various things:

1. Audio Recording: From the Free Audio Editor website I have learned how to record sound from the internet by opening the source and activating Stereo Mix which records the sound from the internet. I found this information from the tutorials on the Free Audio Editor website: http://www.free-audio-editor.com/features/Tutorials_Recording_How_To_Record_Fro_The_Internet_Radio_Web_Radio.html
2. Audio Editing: From the Free Audio Editor website I have also learned how to edit sounds by cutting, copying, pasting, and trimming sounds. These actions are activated by pressing several keys on your keyboard. For example by pressing (Ctrl+X) you can Cut, with (Ctrl+T) you can Trim, and with (Ctrl+D) you can delete. I found this information from the tutorials on the Free Audio Editor website: http://www.free-audio-editor.com/features/Tutorials_Editing.html
3. Audio Effects: The Free Audio Editor website has also taught me how to add audio effects like pitch change, echo, amplify, equalize, fade…etc. For example to amplify a certain sound I must select it then in the menu button press amplify. I found this information from the tutorials on the Free Audio Editor website: http://www.free-audio-editor.com/features/Tutorials_Audio_Effects.html

There are many more tutorials that can be found on the Free Audio website by pressing the following link:  http://www.free-audio-editor.com/features/tutorial.htm

                I have tested out the Free Audio Editor software and found that it is very easy to use. Everything in the software is labeled accordingly with a menu bar on the side that has all the editing techniques labeled with an icon. After testing out this software I am confident that my podcast will sound great. 

Week 8: Structure by Daniella Sousa

My podcast discusses the advertising strategies behind tobacco ads in the 1950's. I begin with a story about Christopher Columbus' first encounter with tobacco then lead that story to a series of information and examples about tobacco advertising from the 50's.I explain the various marketing strategies advertisers used and ask the readers,at the end, which companies could be putting them under the influence today.
The structure my podcast follows looks like this:

The episode starts with a story about the past (the backwards arrow) that follows a typical story structure (introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion). From this story, information (the curved arrow) and examples (the circles on the curved arrow) are given surrounding the podcast topic that works its way from the past to the present (arrow pointing forward). The question mark is a symbol of the significant question I ask after I have present all of my information in the podcast.This structure is very similar to the Under the Influence podcast structure except for the question mark at the end --Terry O'Reily usually doesn't ask a question to end his podcast but he does explain how we are under the influence, which is what I do through my question. 

In the podcast episode Icon for Access from 99% Invisible I counted that their were about 22 citations.

Week 7: Search Strategies by Daniella Sousa

Boolean logic refers to the relationship among search terms when using databases; this includes the operators AND, OR, NOT. It is helpful because it links together terms and narrows down your search so you can find what you are specifically looking for. For instance on the database JSTOR I searched smoking advertisements AND 1950 NOT antismoking campaign, and was able to narrow my search to specific smoking advertisements in the 1950's. Due to this successful search, I will consider using Boolean logic in the future for other research projects.

                A subject search refers to searching the subject of your topic on a database website. For instance, for my topic of smoking advertisements in the 50’s, I would search Marketing and Advertising in a chosen database.  It is useful to look up specific subjects in a database because it will narrow down your search to articles that are only featured in journals related to the subject of your topic. I have personally tried searching the subject of Marketing and Advertising in JSTOR which helped narrow my search from 835 articles to 80. Because of this effectiveness I will now make sure that when I use the Boolean method, I also conduct a subject search to find articles specifically related to my topic.

                For the Google Scholar vs Library Database debate, I prefer to side with Library Databases. My reason for this is because Google Scholar has too much information and you cannot specifically narrow down your topic. With a Library Database you can use Boolean logic and a subject search to find accurate and helpful articles, rather than thousands of articles that do not even discuss your topic. These two search engines can be used in combination by first using Google Scholar to search for a research question through looking at different ideas and discussions involving your topic. After you have figured out exactly what your research question is, you can turn over to a Library Database to find specific information. As mentioned before, the key differences of these two search engines are that Library Databases use Boolean logic and subject searching while Google Scholar solely focuses on the words you use to find information. In the future I would rely on Library Databases.

                Now that I have completed the draft of my podcast transcript, I know exactly what I want to discuss and the format it will be presented in. The next step will be to use these searching techniques in Library Databases to search key facts that can be added to my podcast.

Week 6: Digging Deeper by Daniella Sousa

The steps I have taken to begin this research process were searching up key words on google scholar from my topic of manipulation from tobacco industries. The scholarly sources I am looking for are in the advertising or health field of study –advertising to discover how manipulation works and health to discover the difference of smokers in the 50s to now.

Some of the key words I researched were:

·         Manipulation in advertising

Ø  Goldman, Lisa K. "Evaluation of Antismoking Advertising Campaigns." University of California, n.d. Pdf. 13 Feb. 2014. <http://casemo.org/facts/research/1998goldman.pdf>.

·         How advertisers use manipulation

Ø  Tartakovsky, Margarita. "How Marketers Manipulate Us to Buy." Psych Central.com. Psych Central, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. <http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/11/07/how-marketers-manipulate-us-to-buy-buy-buy/>.

·         Statistics of smokers in the 1950s

Ø  "Cigarette Smoking in the United States, 1950-1978." N.p., n.d. Pdf. 13 Feb. 2014. <http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/ps/access/NNBCPH.pdf>.

An interesting popular source I found in a gender newspaper is an article about how cigarette ads in the 50s were able to target women

Ø  Marine-Street, Natalie. "The Clayman Institute for Gender Research." Gender News. Stanford University, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. <http://gender.stanford.edu/news/2012/stanford-researchers%25E2%2580%2599-cigarette-ad-collection-reveals-how-big-tobacco-targets-women-and>.

Another popular source I found in a health journal is about tobacco advertisements that mentioned that doctors approved of their cigarettes

Ø  Gardner, Martha N., and Allan M. Brandt. "“The Doctors’ Choice Is America’s Choice”."American Journal of Public Health. American Public Health Association, Feb. 2006. Web. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470496/>.

I have been finding many interesting sources and information throughout my research process that will help my podcast.

Week Five: Topic Refinement by Daniella Sousa

This pitch assignment was very useful in refining my topic because my initial topic was very broad. My first research question was “how are advertisers able to manipulate us into buying their products?”, but after this assignment I realized that my question wasn’t specific enough for a 15 minute podcast show. I formulated my research question to be more specific by using a specific example in order to show how advertisers manipulate. After continuous research and looking at ads, I thought the most interesting ads were the tobacco ads from the 50s. I was interested in how different the ads are that we see today, than how the ads use to be. This made me start to think what, in today’s society, will we look back on in the future and see that is so ridiculous and manipulative? I then finalized my question to be: “how were advertisers able to manipulate society in the 50s in order to widely sell tobacco, regardless of its effects? How can we relate this to advertisements we see today?” I found my topic was much more interesting and relatable once I found a specific example to focus on.

                I think the pitch assignment is a very useful pre-writing exercise because it helps you to really think about your topic. You must thoroughly think about your audience (which is something we don’t usually do), think about why our topic is important and think about the broader issue it covers. When you act as if you are selling your work to be broadcasted, you spend a lot more time refining your topic and making sure that it is as concise and interesting as can be.

Week 3: Pitching by Daniella Sousa

After researching advice about pitching ideas for podcast and radio shows I have come up with these three reliable sources:

CBC Radio: Pitch to CBC Radio (www.cbc.ca/pitch/radiopitchguide.html)

CBC is a well-known broadcasting channel and is where a few of the assigned radio shows are broadcasted (i.e.: Under the Influence), which is why I think this is a reliable source. A few useful tips I found from this source are:

1.     Listen to other shows from CBC, NPR, BBC, ABC, private radio, and listen to podcasts.

2.     Really ask yourself, what makes this show a GREAT idea?

3.     Shoot for the moon.

4.     Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

5.     Ask for unbiased feedback and be open to it.

6.     Ask someone you don’t know well to read your pitch and then tell you what the show is about in a couple of lines.

7.     Fall in love with your ideas, but don’t marry them just yet.

  

BBC: The Killer Pitch – Pitching Tips (http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112135673)

BBC is similar to CBC, but is a British version instead of Canadian. BBC is also a very popular broadcasting channel that many people are familiar with, which is why I deemed this site to be reliable. Some of the useful tips I found from this source are: 

1.      Research and plan: know the audience, the channel and the network. Match the tone of your pitch to these

2.      Be passionate:  Genuinely believe in what you are pitching. Have a clear, exciting and enticing idea that will cut through the other pitches seen that day

3.      Be clear: Be succinct, don’t pitch too many ideas; pick your best one. Don’t use gimmicks unless they’re vital.

4.      It is not a lecture: have a conversation with the commissioners. Make them curious, make them laugh.

Transom.org: Notes from a Pitching Novice (http://transom.org/?p=30815)

Transom.org was suggested as a reliable site in lecture and the author of the page, Bianca Giaever, has been pitching for a long time to radio shows. Some of the useful tips she gave are:

1.     Find a good story that fits the podcast show

2.     Practice your pitch thoroughly. Do not change it after you have practiced it and are comfortable with it

3.     Capture the editor’s attention by highlighting the most important part of your show(climax)  and the purpose for it(bigger picture)

Based on the advice I have gathered, the important information that I need in order to create an effective pitch is to watch more Under the Influence podcasts in order to fully understand the style they use, come up with a very exciting hook and make my pitch very interesting for the class. I need to find out how I can present my pitch in a way that will make the class feel like they really need to hear more. From all the advice I have read about pitching I have found that curiosity and excitement is what will capture the audience’s attention.

Week Two: Topic Selection by Daniella Sousa

The podcast I chose to emulate is Under the Influence with Terry O’Reily on CBC Radio One. This series focuses on different advertisements and advertising techniques and their overall cultural effects. I chose this podcast show because I really do believe that we are “under the influence” of the media as they brainwash us into believing their products will make our lives better.

I found that Terry O’Reily’s presentation style is very unique and creative. He always starts his podcast with a story that he constantly refers to throughout his piece. For example, he talks about the world’s greatest race horse, Secretariat, and uses his story throughout his show “Looking Out for Number One” to say how advertising is like a horse race –to see which brand will be the best. I also like how O’Reily asks the audience a question, has a five second music break to think about the question, and then answers the question. When O’Reily answers the questions he plays a clip of an advertisement campaign from the winning brand (i.e. Special K cereal). I also found it very creative how O’Reily starts his list of number one brands the same way we start our day –from cereal and coffee in the morning to beer in the evening. I also enjoy his sound effects like pouring coffee and opening up a bottle of beer, that really allows you visualize to the moment. O’Reily uses a slow, steady pace that allows the audience to think about the answers to his questions. I think all of O’Reily’s techniques are very effective and I wish to emulate these techniques in my podcast.

What I wish to discuss in my podcast is how the influence of advertisements negatively affect society.  When businesses advertise their products they do not care about who or what they exploit –they solely care about how much money they will make. I want to research the influence these companies have on the environment, animals and people (depression, insecurities, bullying…etc.) to point out our ignorance and how much the media blinds us to the problems they are creating. I want to emulate how marketing only focuses on progress for the future but doesn't care to look at the damage they are doing in the present.  

I used SPARK (Student Papers and Academic Research Kits) to help me chose a topic. In the brainstorming worksheet, the page says not to be afraid of quirky ideas, which is what helped me discover my topic. I brainstormed the word “marketing” and came up with words like American dream, progress, riches, exploitation, deception, animal cruelty and damage, that really helped me discover what I wanted to talk about. After the idea of marketing’s negative influence came into my head I used the nutshelling worksheet to target exactly what I wanted to talk about. For other students in my position, I highly encourage them to use SPARK  because before I used it I was endlessly thinking about what I could possibly talk about without getting any ideas. I found that SPARK was extremely helpful in expanding ideas I didn't even know I had 

Now that I chose a topic that interests me, I am very excited to see the new things I can discover through research and all the creative ideas I can incorporate in my podcast.   

Week One: Introductions by Daniella Sousa

Hello, my name is Daniella Sousa. I am 19 years old in my second year at York University studying English and Professional Writing. I am interested in the studies of literature, creative and technical writing, humanities and social science. What interests me about these studies are learning how and why people act and think certain ways, and learning how it affects society as a whole. With this knowledge I can learn to change the way people think in order to help the environment and humanity by writing informative articles. I have always wanted to make a difference in the world and I feel I can achieve this through journalism.

          

      If I want to inspire people in the future I have to know exactly what I am talking about by having accurate facts.  This is why learning how to correctly research is extremely important to my aspiring profession. I am very excited for what this course can teach me and how it can strengthen my researching skills. I have never used information management software like RefWorks or Zotero, but I am willing to try anything new in order to have the best researching skills I possibly can. When I have a research project I head to the library to find books on my topic or I rely on good-old Google. On my free time I scroll through Facebook and read interesting articles, and if I am curious enough about the topic, I will look it up to find out more information.

           

     I have never created a podcast and have no experience with them. I am excited about this project, but a little bit nervous as well. I love trying new things – especially things in the writing field that help me discover what I want to do in the future. I’m nervous because I’m not sure I have a very good “radio voice” – I’ve been told that my voice is “deep”, “flat” and “soothing” (It can put people to sleep!) . I believe I can overcome this obstacle through using appropriate humour, using different pitches, and using background music. This way the audience will be constantly entertain and won’t fall asleep to my monotone voice.

                Choosing a topic for this assignment will be the hardest part. Many of the podcast topics spark ideas into my head when I read the description:

On the Media – With this topic I can show readers how not everything they read is true and can be one-sided. I can show how the best remedy for this is to research the issues the article discusses.

Under the Influence – With this topic I can show how businesses target certain groups into believing their product is right for them. I think it will be interesting to see how people react when business’ tricks are revealed.

Everyday Einstein –I have seen many new inventions recently that I have questioned. I would want to learn about how it would change society and its impact on the environment.

               

    By researching any of these topics I can become closer to my goal of making a difference in the world through making people really think about the decisions they make and how they affect society.