Task 3

Essay Map

Thesis

Does Print Media still have a place in the Digital Culture we live in today?
Analog vs Digital

1. Throughout history, print media played an important role in popular culture.

'to give people a voice of their own' - expression

• Working class making their own culture - expressing themselves.
• Democracy - eliminating social hierarchy, separation of social classes.
• Print Capitalism.
• 'A History of Communism' book - Power to the people.
• Protests.
• 'Penny Dreadfuls' article.

2. Propaganda print media was an effective way of influencing a society.

'to influence a society'

 

• Propaganda in war - manipulation.
• German propaganda WWII - Hitler kind to children? Feeding a certain mentality.
• 'British prints from the machine age' book. Informing a society, WWI.
• 'Why paint war? British and Belgian artists in World War One' article links to above.
• 'Propaganda as a weapon? Influencing international opinion' article.

3. Reproducibility of an image made art universally available.

'to make art universally available'

• Advertising - distribution.
• Loss of value, authorship and expression.
• 'The Designer as Author' essay.
• Authenticity, not always relevant for the purpose.
• Free for interpretation - popular culture.
• Post-modernism - fan art/film posters.
• Print Culture - of the people.

4. The digitalisation and invention of the internet has given anyone the access to imagery - Do we need a physical copy (print)?

'disputing the role of physicality of a print in the digital age'.

• Mobilisation of digital communication.
• 'The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction' book.
• Jean Jullien's Paris symbol - Universally acknowledged (speed), printed media not needed.
• Social Media.
• 'Fractal dreams new media in social context' book - communication.
• Books/print into film/TV.

Penny Dreadfuls Article - Summary

http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/penny-dreadfuls

Discovering Literature: Romantics and Victorians

British Library

Penny Dreadfuls by Judith Flanders

Key Points

• Penny Dreadfuls contributed to making print available to the working class - the masses.
• Contained stories for all classes of people, affordable and accessible for all and became part of the popular culture.
• - Penny-bloods weren't too bothered about intellectual content, it was very much about producing a story for the working classes.
• The illustrations were a huge part of making the reader intrigued as to what the story was about.
• - Certain stories were extremely popular due to the content being an expression of a working class life and the challenges they faced in contrast to the upper classes.
• Including true events made the stories more relatable to an audience.
• The development of media made it possible for these stories to be told to a wider audience of all classes (the masses). Re-telling of stories through film, stage production and television. Penny Dreadful - TV Drama. Sweeney Todd - Stage and Film.

Key Quotes

• '19th-century publishing phenomenon... cheap, sensational, highly illustrated stories... popular with the Victorian public'.
• 'literacy and improving technology saw a boom in cheap fiction for the working classes'.
• 'astonishingly successful, creating a vast new readership'.
• - 'without too much worry for historical accuracy or continuity'.
• 'The illustrations were an essential element, as much an advertising tool as art'.
• - 'most successful penny-blood...much closer to it's reader's own lives, contrasting the dreadful world of the slums with the decadent life of the careless rich'. - Mysteries of London 1844 by G.W.M. Reynolds.
• 'penny-bloods found even more success with stories of true crimes, especially murders... most successful of them was the story of Sweeney Todd... adapted for the stage... on the road to world fame'.
• 'broad readership'.

Summary


Judith Flanders explores the ways in which 'Penny Dreadfuls' contributed to making print available to the masses. In her article for the British Library, 'discovering literature: Romantics and Victorians', she describes the '19th century publishing phenomenon' as 'cheap fiction' which was incredibly popular with the Victorian public. The stories contained in these books were suitable for the readership of all classes of people and became a part of popular culture at that time. The affordability and accessibility of the 'Penny-blood', as they were originally titled, ensured that the reach of an audience was much wider than it had been with previous literature, which was very much directed at the upper classes. 'Literacy and improving technology' contributed to a demand in the production of cheap fiction for the working classes, which was 'astonishingly successful' and created a 'vast new readership'.

Following the theme of producing material for the working classes, penny dreadfuls didn't bother too much about intellectual content, it was very much orientated around the idea of story telling 'without too much worry for historical accuracy or continuity'. This made the books even more appealing to some audiences who were not interested in the academic sources of the subject matter, but in the representation of a narrative. Illustrations contained in the books and on the cover were a huge part of intriguing the reader to discover more about the story, Flanders describes illustration as 'an essential element, as much an advertising tool as art'.

Certain stories were extremely popular due to the content being an expression of a working class life in 'the dreadful world of the slums' and the challenges they faced in contrast to the 'decadent life of the careless rich'. In 1844 this was displayed when GWM Reynolds produced the 'Mysteries of London'. This became the 'most successful of penny-blood' and demonstrated this idea of social hierarchy between the classes. Including true events made the stories more relatable to an audience and even more success was found when including 'stories of true crimes, especially murders' in the content of the plot line. The most successful of this type of penny-blood was the story of 'Sweeney Todd', the demon barber of Fleet Street. The story was swiftly adapted for stage production that widened the reach to an audience yet again, including the upper classes. 

The influences of these stories can still be seen around the world today. For example, Penny Dreadful is now an American-British television drama. Similarly, the story of Sweeney Todd has since been successfully told and greatly received through theatre productions and film all over the world. Hence, a cheap short story made initially for the working classes in the 19th century has become celebrated and acknowledged by a much wider audience.

Propaganda as a weapon? Influencing International opinion - Summary

http://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/propaganda-as-a-weapon

Propaganda as a Weapon? Influencing International Opinion
British Library

by Ian Cooke

Key Points

• In World War I, propaganda was a massive factor in helping to manipulate international opinion - Global influences.
• Influencing the News
• It was in the interest of the countries at war to try and gain the support of independent countries.
• Including drawings or photographs within the printed propaganda newspapers was effective in gaining the interests and attention of the masses.
• Sending out copies of newspapers in many different languages included a variety of cultures in having an opinion on the conflict of World War I. Offered a biased viewpoint on hat was happening.
• German and British covert propaganda
• Propaganda was used to try and influence countries against the motives and interests of their economy - Power of persuasion. Germany trying to stop America from giving financial support to Britain.
• Tactfulness is important when appealing to the public. The propaganda was less effective when used in a certain way. - Obvious.
• Certain areas/people were targeted for their influence on a greater number of people - PR.
• Britain enhanced support by distributing propaganda from other countries, made it look like these external countries were supporting them out of choice over Germany - Pressure.
• Official propaganda
• Propaganda was used by the government to try and gain acceptance for their actions from the masses.
• Exploiting mistakes made by the enemy
• Warfare was not just evident on the battlefield, but also evident within media and the way events were made aware to the public - The sinking of the Lusitania, publicising failures of the enemy to get the public on side.
• Propaganda against enemy armed forces
• Influencing people outside of the direct reach of the conflict using print media helped to gain support from the masses universally.
• Germany tried to appeal to people's emotional investments and what matters to them in their personal lives.
• The impact of International propaganda
• Distributing printed propaganda was a useful way of getting information seen by a majority, so it was adopted by everyone (all sides). It was so effective that people were willing to risk their lives to distribute them.
• Germany believed that the war had been lost through the lack of support from the German people who had been influenced heavily by the external source of foreign propaganda.

Key Quotes

• 'the newspapers, books and cartoons produced in an attempt to influence both neutral and enemy countries'.
• 'to shape opinion and action internationally... justify their actions... build international support... resulted in some of the most powerful propaganda ever produced'.
• In 1914 'Wellington House printed its own newspapers for circulation around the world... Illustrated news, carrying drawings or photographs, was viewed as particularly effective'.
• 'By December 1916, the war pictorial was running at a circulation of 500,000 copies per issue... covering 11 languages... such a powerful effect upon the masses that the Chinese government were able to declare war against Germany'.
• - 'a plot by unscrupulous financiers to draw the USA into a war which would be against its own interests and ruinous to its economy... pamphlets, cartoons and longer books'.
• 'German propaganda tended to lack subtlety... British efforts, directed through Wellington House for most of the war, took a different approach'.
• '... produced independently of state direction... books and pamphlets were published in huge numbers and circulated to lists of people identified as opinion makers'.
• - '... an attempt by the government to set out its justification for war'.
• - 'British propaganda aimed at neutral countries also made effective use of Germany's misfortunes or misjudgements during the war' - Sinking of Lusitania (claimed 1198 lives) Britain 'circulated to highlight the 'barbarity' of the enemy'.
• - 'aeroplanes and balloons were used by all sides to drop leaflets and posters over fighting forces and civilians'.
• 'German propaganda included material written in Urdu... leaflets and posters played on resentments of British rule in India'.
• - 'leaflets and posters were circulated in vast numbers by all sides'.

Summary

'Propaganda as a weapon? Influencing International Opinion' is an article written by Ian Cooke for the British Library, which examines the ways in which Propaganda print was used to manipulate global viewpoints during World War I.

Cooke looks at how it was in the interest of conflicting countries to try and gain the support of those who were independent. By using 'newspapers, books and cartoons' as a form of printed propaganda, Britain and Germany were able to effectively gain the attention of 'both neutral and enemy countries'. Copies of newspapers printed in many different languages were sent out to try and 'justify their actions' on the battlefield and 'build international support'. This meant that many cultures could have an informed opinion on the conflict of World War I, however biased the source of their information may be. Just how effective this method of distribution could be was demonstrated by Wellington House, Britain's war propaganda bureau, in 1914. Illustrated newspapers containing drawings and photographs were printed 'for circulation around the world' and by December 1916, 11 different languages were covered. There was 'such a powerful effect upon the masses' that the repercussions following this had a significant impact on the rest of the war.

Propaganda of 'pamphlets, cartoons and longer books' were used as a means of persuasion to try and influence countries against the motives and interests of their economy. However, it became evident that tactfulness is very important when appealing to the public. Cooke suggests that German propaganda 'tended to lack subtlety' and was less effective when utilised in an obvious way. Britain approached distribution much differently, using knowledge of Public Relations, by appealing to certain areas/people who were targeted for their influence on a greater number of people. Pressure to support Britain was enforced when pamphlets and book were produced 'independently of state direction' and issued to people who were 'identified as opinion makers' to influence external countries.

The government used propaganda within their own country to try and gain acceptance for their actions from the masses. Cooke describes this as 'an attempt by the government to set out its justification for war'. Warfare was not just evident on the battlefield, but also within the media and the way mistakes of the enemy were presented to the public. Neutral countries were the target for British propaganda to highlight the 'misfortunes or misjudgements' of German action in war. The sinking of the Lusitania, which claimed 1198 lives, was fuel for Britain's Wellington House, which was 'circulated to highlight the 'barbarity' of the enemy'. Publicising the failures of opposing countries was successful in influencing public opinion.

'Aeroplanes and balloons were used by all side to drop leaflets and posters over fighting forces and civilians', reaching the support of the masses universally and influencing people outside of the direct reach of the conflict using printed media was very important in establishing the victory of the war. Germany tried to appeal to people's emotional investments and what mattered to them in their personal lives to get them on side. This was evident when leaflets and posters written in Urdu were issued, displaying the endorsements of the 'resentments of British rule in India'. The production of printed propaganda was a useful way of getting information seen by a majority, so it was adopted by all sides of the conflict. It was so effective that people were willing to risk their lives to ensure they were distributed accordingly. German people had been influenced so heavily by foreign propaganda, which was 'circulated in vast numbers by all sides', that it was thought the war had been lost, prematurely, due to the lack of public support.

A History of Communism - Summary

Jim Dine - A History of Communism

Key Points

• Certain imagery in Dine's projects symbolise Socialism.
• A Communist Society was a Utopian idea for the working class and their interests, the use of symbolism served as a reminder of this.

Key Quotes

• 'a wide array of tools - brushes, scissors, hammers and different types of pliers - have been part of Dine's visual vocabulary since the 1960s…'tools were an essential part of the symbolism of the former socialist countries' 
• 'The tools served as a reminder that the worker's interests were meant to be the foundation of the future communist society…ideology…the symbolic reference points remained a strong visual clue.'

Summary

In 'A History of Communism' Gwendolyn Sasse explores the ways in which Jim Dine expresses the idealistic views of a society through symbolism in his prints. Certain imagery in his projects depict the idea of socialism, an 'array of tools - brushes, scissors, hammers and different types of pliers' which have been 'part of Dine's visual vocabulary since the 1960s' are used. This imagery was an 'essential part of the symbolism of the former socialist countries'.

Dine's tools 'served as a reminder that the worker's interests were meant to be the foundation of the future communist society'. This was utopian idea, especially regarding the working class at this time. The experience of living in a socialist society has become a 'more distant and indirect memory' so visualising this notion can help people to 'remember and relay the history of communism'. Although the 'ideology' of socialism did not come to pass, the 'symbolic reference points remained a strong visual clue' for the masses. Dine's work is an example of how print can provide someone with a visual voice.

Fractal Dreams New Media in Social Context - Summary

 Fractal Dreams New Media in Social Context
Edited by Jon Dovey

Focus - Who gets to Play? Art, Access and Margin
Ailsa Barry

Key Points

• Computers can help people to publicise their ideas to the world.
• The technological advances, computers and networks, can promote democracy by giving everyone access to information.
• Art can be easily shared and critiqued over the internet.

Key Quotes

• The Magic Box - A Future Fairy Tale '...soon it was travelling along cables and networks to every home in the country (that had a computer) and was being beamed by satellite across the world.'
• Origins of Myth 'For groups that have traditionally been disenfranchised, not having access to the main economic and political channels of power and communication, there is a promise of a new digital voice.'
• Origins of Myth ' The emergence of computers and networks, which make work easily reproducible and transportable... easily accessible to a wider public, bypassing the moribund channels of galleries and museums...vast conceptual world where the audience or viewer can interact or participate.'

Summary

Ailsa Barry's text in 'Fractal Dreams - New Media in Social Context' on 'Who gets to Play? Art, Access and Margin' investigates distribution, technology and communication in society.

Firstly, Barry suggests that computers can help people to publicise and gain recognition or their work. In 'The Magic Box - A future Fairy Tale' it is said that art can be shared by '...travelling along cables and networks to every home in the country', therefore promoting and enabling otherwise unknown art to be 'beamed by satellite across the world'. The notion of even amateur art becoming universally available means that anyone has the opportunity to be a part of an on-line creative community where they can learn, participate and receive opinions on their work freely.

These technological advances in regards to computers and networking can contribute to an important part of a democratic society by giving everyone equal access to information. Barry expresses that 'For groups that have traditionally been disenfranchised, not having access to the main economic and political channels of power and communication, there is a promise of a new digital voice'. In other words, a digital culture gives everyone an equal opportunity to gain an understanding of the world we live in, eliminating a hierarchy and someone to determine who should or should not be allowed to express their ideas.

Following the idea of making art available to all through technology, Barry discusses that 'The emergence of computers and networks make work easily reproducible and transportable' which implies that in the digital age art is easily shared and critiqued on a vast scale by the public. This reproduction is the way in which art has become 'easily accessible to a wider public, bypassing the moribund channels of galleries and museums'. Art galleries are, even now, largely associated with the upper class. Therefore, there is the question of whether the traditional ways of displaying art are appropriate for a mass audience. The use of social media and being able to discover a creative collective just a click away has generated a 'vast conceptual world where the audience or viewer can interact or participate'.

Image Analysis 1 - Print Media

What is the role of print media in the digital age?

Viktor Hertz - Pictogram movie posters

• Universally understood ideas using shapes.
• Can depict our ideas of what society should be like; gender roles, culture, social norms, etc.
• Visual metaphors. The images don't necessarily have naturalistic elements to them, but we as an audience understand clearly what is being said.

http://designspiration.net/image/482504318851/

Penny Dreadful (1870s) Magazine 

Informing the horrors of Victorian fast food - The penny pie.

Comparative to the Glastonbury Press and The London Illustrated News.

• Came about with democracy and the collapse of traditional authority.
• Popular culture, distraction for the masses
• Print Capitalism, there is a common way of using language and forming opinions/ideas that are generated through the use of the printing press to influence the ideas of the individuals in a nation.
• Art became available to all classes. Before, there was a noticeable separation of different classes in regards to who art was available to. The working class people then created their own culture and got together to protest against their conditions.
• Has the traditional print been replaced with digital media? No need for a physical copy of an image due to the growth of social media? For example, the power of an image - Jean Jullien's 'Peace for Paris' symbol.

http://static.highsnobiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/14230125/jean-jullien-peace-for-paris-symbol-0.jpg

http://metro.co.uk/2013/07/08/victorian-fast-food-horrors-exposed-3872919/

Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Print

• Repetition and print based. No originality to the work.
• All notion of meaning is eliminated from Warhol's work. Aims to create prints free from concept, attacking more pretentious ideas of art. 
• Simply looks nice, popular culture. People taking art into their homes.
• Does print media even have a role in the digital age?

https://branditative.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/picture4-6.png

Task 2 - What is the role of Print Media in the Digital Age?

Walter Benjamin (1936)

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alfredocaceres/4876481334/in/faves-gaiamarfurt/

Tone of voice

• Formal

Key Points from each Chapter

• I - Art has always been reproducible. Woodcut graphic art, etchings, lithography, etc.
• II - Reproducible art lacks ownership, physicality and authenticity compared to an original.
• III - The masses in society have a great influence to bring things closer to contemporary life, encouraging reproduction of imagery- Magazines, newsreels, etc.
• IV - Authentic print isn't always relevant to the function, such as propaganda. It is designed to be able to be reproduced, photographic negatives.
• V - The difference between how a work of art is viewed, cult or exhibition value.
• VI - Photography (portrait) expresses a cult value.
• VII - Has the invention of photography transformed the nature of art altogether?
• VIII - Film has introduced an impersonal way of viewing performance, audience acts as a camera/critic.
• IX - Art has left the notion of just being beautiful.
• X - The film industry is trying to spur the interests of the masses.
• XI - A painter produces a complete image with equipment (tools) whereas a photographer produced an image made of multiple fragments of reality which may be more appealing to a contemporary viewer.
• XII - Reactions of the masses are changed due to mechanical reproduction.
• XIII - A camera can show us characteristics of our lives that we may unconsciously miss.
• XIV - A task of art is to create a demand that can only be satisfied with a change in technical advances.
• XV - Quantity has been transmuted into quality, mass of participants.
• Epilogue - Expression in relation to the masses and fascism, communism.

Key Quotes

• 'Communism responds by politicising art' - Epilogue
• 'In principle a work of art has always been reproducible' - I
• …'the change which it may have suffered in physical condition over the years' - II
• …'reproduction as offered by picture magazines and newsreels differs from the image seen by the unarmed eye' - III
• …'the total function of art is reversed. Instead of being based on ritual, it begins to be based on another practice - politics' - IV
• 'Works of art are received and valued on different planes' - V
• 'In Photography, exhibition value begins to displace cult value all along the line' - VI
• 'The primary question - whether the very invention of photography had not transformed the entire nature of art - was not raised' - VII
• …'art has left the realm of the ''beautiful semblance'' which, so far, had been taken to be the only sphere where art could thrive' - IX
• …'the film industry is trying hard to spur the interest of the masses' - X
• 'Mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses towards art' - XII
• 'Quantity has been transmuted into quality' - XV
• 'The public is an examiner, but an absent-minded one' - XV

Summary

Walter Benjamin's essay on 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' explores ways in which the reproduction of art has caused changes in the expression of the masses in society and how this differs in relation to original, authentic art.

Firstly, Benjamin explains that 'In principle a work of art has always been reproducible', indicating that, historically, print has been available for a long time. Starting with the use of woodcut graphic art, then progressing towards etchings and lithography which made it generally easier for people to access. The masses in society have a great influence to bring things closer to contemporary life, encouraging reproduction of imagery. Benjamin states that this has been demonstrated in the mass production of magazines and newsreels.

On the one hand, the idea that reproduced art lacks ownership and authenticity is seemingly a valid point. The original piece '..may have suffered in physical condition over the years' where as in print the notion of physicality is removed. This may affect the story of the image and eliminate an element of humanity. On the other hand, authentic print isn't always relevant to the function, such as propaganda posters, which are designed to be reproduced and distributed to the masses. In this case, authenticity is not relevant to the context.

In conclusion, the relation of reproduction and the development of the distribution of print is largely to do with the changes in the divisions of the social hierarchy. Benjamin states that 'Communism responds by politicising art', the power and expression of the working class people to influence society through imagery became available, this changed the way people viewed art in general. Benjamin expresses that 'Mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses towards art'.