Key Debates in Media Studies - Essay Example

Key Debates in Media Studies by I have decided to choose a media event that would have serious consequences not for the specific country only but for the whole planet as well. Searching for such an important media event I came to conclusion that only few major events in the world are able to define the whole direction of cultural, social, political development of civilization and therefore choosing them as the objects for research and analyzing them from different perspectives of media will shed light on the very essence of media itself. Thus, thinking about such non-trivial recent shifts in culture of the planet I recalled the Eurovision contest that takes place annually in Europe. The song competition unites all countries that are geographically located on the territory of Europe in attempt to define the best performance with the help of free televoting. Though the quality of the music on the contest is sometimes very disputable (because most singers and bands choose pop as a preferable genre) the overall impact of the event on European society is rather significant. First of all, it is believed to shape the direction and trends in European cultural development as the Eurovision promotes live performance and unique, and that is why non-trivial, show on the stage. Several world famous stars, such as ABBA for instance, first appeared as participants of the contest. However, many viewers claim that the Eurovision can be regarded as a political show first of all because it reflects Europeans` preferences and negative tendencies in perception of certain countries. The contest also demonstrates quite vividly which countries and the nations of which countries have good relationships and which relationships are tense. Last year the victory of the Austrian contestant, Conchita Wurst who represents herself as a drag queen, set the whole cultural world in turmoil and provoked active debates regarding the relevance and the influence of the event. Therefore, it is possible to suggest the Eurovision is one of the most controversial music contests on the planet which has its political and cultural implications for the population of Europe and its representation in media must be performed with the help of different, sometimes even opposite approaches. In this paper I will try to analyze how media can utilize various tactics and emphasize different priorities depending on its relation to the realms of state and politics and culture. To begin with it is still necessary to create some adequate image of the Eurovision song contest. Most common people in Europe would instantly describe the show as vulgar, kitchy, and superficial because it definitely lacks serious vocal preparation of the contestants and emphasizes mostly visual aspect of stage performances. The texts of the songs are very narrow thematically in order to become catchy and seldom touch serious topics. The audience of this show got used to revealing costumes of young girls on the stage and doubtful artistic hooks for attracting attention. The contestants know that unless they show some nontrivial and extraordinary approach to performance they will be lost among a number of others similar stars. Unfortunately, in most cases Eurovision singers simply lack talent and preparation trying to hide it behind some attractive cover. However, it is also necessary to mention that the contest is not as simple as it looks at the first sight. It reveals, encodes, and demonstrates unnoticed, subconscious if it is possible to say, geopolitical and cultural controversial issues in European countries. Needless to say that Europe is far from being wholesome and united and the tension between “old” Europe and “new” Europe becomes rather obvious on the example of the voting in this contest. Moreover, the opposition and lack of acceptance of traditional Europe united by the European Union to its new post-Soviet neighbors such as Ukraine, Belorussia, and Russia. The Eurovision is also deeply connected to subcultural, migration and diasporas` trends on the territory of Europe. Some countries logically have parts of its population living abroad in the neighborhood territories which is often evident during voting. The contest reflects to a great extent the borders, political and cultural, between two “Europes”, one united by traditional and economic ties and the other one, larger, which is created formally. Another interesting issue with the Eurovision is its system of voting. It is designed in such a way that common people, citizens of the countries which participate in the contests receive the opportunity to express their preferences by awarding scores to their favorites. This system of voting was introduced several years ago and became rather popular since then and replaced the traditional jury system. The televoting system attracts a number of participants in all European states who receive a chance to feel themselves involved into the process of major cultural change in the region. This system of voting can be regarded as the first variant of electronic democracy which is forecast to substitute regular voting at elections. This approach to media promoting democracy in its direct sense can be exemplary for Europe and for the whole world as well. Let us not forget the main purpose of the Eurovision establishment, created in a far 1956 it was supposed to unite the countries alienated after the Second World War. Though this goal seemed unreachable European countries were forced to do at least some steps in order to enhance the relationships between yesterday rivals. That is how media was supposed to demonstrate its power in the sphere of geopolitics and play a unifying role. In reality the contest made problematic aspects of the relationships between European states even more acute and brought some new problems to the table (European Broadcasting Union). The article in “The New Yorker” about the Eurovision 2014 reveals often hidden tendencies of the European song contest as for Americans, who are absolutely indifferent to the tendencies of European pop culture being literally fed up with their own pop stars (and actually creating most trends in pop culture), this event is nothing but the puppet show about geopolitics in Europe. McGrane, the author of the article “An Austrian drag queen wins the Eurovision” points from the very beginning of the text that that year the contest was full of political implications. Last year Russia invaded the territory of Ukraine and annexed its part which is called Crimea and became a political outcast on the world arena. Unexpectedly, even this was reflected at the song contest: “Many have called it the most political Eurovision ever: over the course of the evening, which was watched by a hundred and twenty million people, the blonde, teen-aged twins representing Russia, where they are widely touted as virgins, were booed—a first in the history of the contest. Televotes from Crimea had been counted, according to Eurovision decree, as Ukrainian” (McGrane, 2014). Thus, in such a seemingly remote from political conflicts realm as pop extravaganza, the power of media as of the phenomenon which helps to shape the state policy, define this policy, and influence its promotion, becomes evident. The issue of a disputable territory of Crimea which was claimed by both Ukraine and Russia to belong to them, was solved with the help of electronic voting system and was mediated to the whole Europe as a fact. Crimea was simply counted as a part of Ukraine. The author of the article also claims that despite all the disputes and discussions concerning the legitimacy of winner (de facto it was Tom Neuwirth who claimed Conchita Wurst to be his alter ego) the ultimate goal of the contest was achieved: media event helped to reunite people of various nationalities, confessions, sexual orientation, and political preferences. McGrane concludes that: “Wurst has also proved to be a surprisingly unifying figure. “People talk about the splintered European Union, about the U.K. pulling out,” he said. “But, last night, everyone got behind an Austrian drag queen.” (McGrane, 2014) Thus for such a huge territory as Europe which is claimed to be united in some artificial way it is media that helps to define geographical boundaries. It is also noteworthy that the countries which belonging to Europe is limited by geographical boundaries are those which are the most interested in participation in the Eurovision. In Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia the candidates to Eurovision are discussed on the governmental level and most population follows closely the contest on TV and on the Internet. It can be explained by assumption that identification with Europe on geographical level serves as an ego-booster for post-Soviet countries searching for their political ways of development after the USSR breakup. It is also interesting that in Russia the selection of the candidates is controlled closely by the authorities of the highest level who are concerned with the image the country creates in Europe via its contestants. But Europe is not only boundaries on the maps; Europe is the cradle of civilization with its deep artistic traditions. And the performance of Conchita had an exceptional cultural effect on European community because it was aimed to challenge traditional norms of gender, beauty, normality, and sexuality. Most critics claimed that it was a lesson of tolerance as the Austrian contestant was implicitly asking the audience : “Are you ready to accept me the way I accept myself and the way I see myself?” A man with a thick full beard dressed in a luxurious evening dress became the winner of the Eurovision making Western Europe unite with Eastern Europe in common desire to break the established cultural values. The main message of the winner was probably transmitted with the help of her image only- the combination of unimaginable attributes belonging to different gender realms (femininity with a dress; and masculinity with a beard). Wurst was the first who found courage to proclaim to the whole world the gender is mostly a social construct and in the modern reality full of deviations from the norms sticking to the stereotypical concept of gender is anachronism. Wurst managed to make a clear cultural statement with her performance showing that Europe is committed to progressive, liberal, and democratic ideas. In this context the antipropaganda of L.G.B.T. in Russia prohibiting homosexual relationships and imposing opposite values (the candidates from Russia became famous before the contest for their alleged virginity) looks like cultural opposition of the whole country to European values. Wurst even directed her message to the president of Russia supporting anti L.G.B.T. legislation: “You know who you are. We are unity, and we are unstoppable.” Later, in a press conference, she addressed the same message directly to Vladimir Putin.”(McGrae, 2014) Thus, for the auditory the performance of Conchita Wurst was comic and serious at the same time. On the superficial level it stroke with absurd and gloss and aimed to shock the public first of all. And it achieved its effect as consciously or subconsciously people in different European countries were voting for the absolutely fresh look unable to identify whether it is a man or a woman. But on the deeper level the whole media event had a powerful message to LGBT community and to those who oppose tolerance and do not accept sexual orientation differences simultaneously. The song of Wurst was called “Rising like a Phoenix” implying reinvention of the traditional perception of feminine and masculine beauty which apparently has been “burnt”. Therefore, such a big and extravagant media event as the Eurovision uses different strategies and tactics in order to achieve its main goal- uniting the nations of Europe separated by major military conflicts. On the first level the Eurovision turns out to be the indicator of political changes of a year. It reflects favorites and outcasts of political scene and shows how different subcultures and diaspores establish themselves in Europe. It also promotes democracy as the basis of European union with the help of free voting. However, the artistic value of the contest is disputable, it still reflects some cultural trends I European society. In recent years tolerance towards L.G.B.T community became central for many countries with France legislating gay marriages. Thus on the example of the winner of 2015 it is possible to say that the Eurovision has powerful cultural implication. References European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved from: http://www3.ebu.ch/home McGrane, S.(2014). An Austrian drag queen wins Eurovision, The New Yorker. Retrieved from: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/an-austrian-drag-queen-wins-eurovision Read More